Something Lost
by Kyoru-KiTTy-ArTist
Summary: Hinata confessed to Naruto, but he never responded to her confession. To ease her heartache, Hinata decides to forget about him completely. Two years later, Naruto returns. But when the two reunite, will Hinata even remember his face or her love? Naruhina
1. Chapter 1

Why hello there. I haven't written anything in ages, so my sentences might be too long and wordy...I'm sorry XD

This actually is going to be a multli-chapter story (I haven't written one of these since like 7th grade so bear with me XD) Yea, I can't believe I'm doing it either... Uhm I also have no plan for this story, I'm just kind of flowing whichever way the characters want to take me, so let's see what happens, hahaa I have no set plans... (not even an ending, which I usually have.. derp.)

I'm damn tired of waiting for a response to Hinata's confession that happened AGES ago. So I resorted to Fanfiction to calm myself down and make sense of this frustrating situation.

" mah boi " = speaking

' mah boi ' = thought

**_Mah Boi_** = FLASHBACK

Disclaimer: Me no own Naruto...

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><p>Hinata blew lightly on her fingertips, waving them in front of her face to dry the newly applied polish. It was a fairly nice spring day, a bit cloudy but much better than the foot and a half of snow and the constant bitter cold of last winter that Konoha endured. Hinata rather liked aspects of every season, but enjoyed the change of pace. She was sick of the cold air and frozen ground and was more than happy to greet the light spring breeze and new birth of nature. That was a reason why Hinata sat outside on the front steps of the Hyuuga mansion, just outside the protective front gate. Such a gate that surrounded the clan's property had multiple purposes; one of which was to keep vile things out. Another was to keep precious things in. And lastly, another still was to prevent either of these two things from ever meeting.<p>

Hinata continued painting, spreading the second coat of her clear, iridescent polish down her nails, from cuticles to tips. She began to hum to herself, a pretty tune often hummed softly by her late mother; Hinata tended to unconsciously recall the tune when she was by herself. And as she did so, she was settled in contently deep thoughts, mostly thoughts focusing on ninja training and Justus, from her byakugan and her sister Hanabi to Konoha and her friends and fellow ninja. They were simple thoughts, nothing she hadn't pondered or dwelled on before. One thought did not, however, cross her mind. Well, one person at least; surprisingly, Hinata didn't even think of a certain blue eyed hyperactive ninja's name.

Hinata blinked, stopped humming in mid-tune, and looked up. There was no one around, no one coming up the path, though chatter and hustle bustle could be heard from the main square of Konoha right down the road. Hinata had thought she heard something. Activating her byakugan, she took a quick but cautious analysis of the perimeter. There was nothing suspicious around at all. Shrugging, Hinata resumed humming and polishing, enjoying the fresh air and overall quiet near her, disregarding the murmur of sounds from town.

_**Hinata twiddled her index fingers in her typical manner. She peered through the veil of her bangs at the back of an orange-clad ninja in front of her. 'Please,' she thought, desperately hoping her thoughts could reach him somehow.**_

_**'Please just turn around.'**_

_**Naruto spoke to the group, the Rookie 9, intently about Sasuke's predicted whereabouts and determined path. Sakura stood next to him, her stance supportive and her jaw set. Hinata looked at the two, her fingers poking together more fervently. Hinata, with all of the reasons that presented themselves, had never felt contempt or jealousy towards the fiery kunoichi. Sakura was pretty, brave and a great ninja, skillful as a medic and, even now, always determined to fight openly for the one she deeply cared for. **_

_**Hinata was about to sigh, when she stopped herself. 'That's enough,' she scolded, her eyebrows furrowing. 'You did very well on your own. You should be proud of what you did for Naruto. You finally told him.'**_

_**'Yes, I did.' Her fingers laced together and she brought her joined hands just in front of her lips. 'Although, I did hope that what I did would trigger some sort of reaction or response...' She continued to stare at his back, too wrapped up in her mental dialogue to actually listen to the Sasuke retrieval plan. Now she allowed herself to sigh, ' Or at least earn a look my way.'**_

As Hinata walked about town, she checked her grocery list, making her way to the produce stand. Normally it was a branch member's job to shop for goods for dinner, but Hinata had insisted on going out. She loved the Konoha market and the scurrying of so many different people up and about in the morning. (She also wanted to prove to the elders of her clan that anyone could do a bit of shopping, regardless of clan status.) She glanced around the main street of Konoha and smiled. After a little over a year and a half of rebuilding and renovation, Konoha was now back to the state it once was before it fell under Pein's hand. Considering the utter devastation that the village had undergone, eighteen year old Hinata was pleased to see that reconstruction had only taken less than two years, thanks to the dedicated ninja and villagers.

She passed a circle of a few village women, who were gossiping about a rogue ninja on the run after a goal called revenge. Hinata heard a vague jist of their conversation; members of the new generation of ninja were seeking this rogue and were determined to bring him back to the village. With new ninja continuing to emerge, threatening the peace between the ninja villages, it seemed Team 7's job was far from over, the women said. Hinata turned her head at this. Team 7...sounded familiar. Something in Hinata made her freshly polished nails dig into her wrist holding her acquired groceries. She winced, turned and went on her way to the next stand. No...not really familiar at all.

_**Her Byakugan activated, she mercilessly tore apart the bark of the tree. Pieces of wood flew in various directions, narrowly missing the girl as she proceeded to train. A wave of fatigue suddenly hit her, and her 64 palms dissipated as her tired body forced her to nearly collapse. With her hands on her knees for support, Hinata panted, a taste of iron in her mouth but still a firm will to continue. 'I must master this. I can't give up.' Her body pleaded to stop as she stumbled retrieving her embedded shiruken from nearby trees. 'It's my nindo...just like Naruto-kun.'**_

_**No. She didn't mean it. She didn't mean to mention his name. Tears began to spill over as her heart ached. "N-Naruto-kun..." she teased herself, knowing well enough that merely saying his name would send herself into a tear stained frenzy. It had been three months since Pein destroyed Konoha, three months since Naruto saved them all, three months since she told her true love her most valuable and vulnerable secret. And her beloved Naruto-kun had barely even batted an eye towards her, let alone responded to her confession. Hinata sobbed, her legs giving out as she crumbled to the cold ground. Leaning against the tree she had just moments ago been beating the pulp out of, she now clung onto it as a source of comfort. She used to find comfort in Naruto; when her Hyuuga family proved to be too demanding of her, just seeing the blonde boy scarfing down numerous bowls of ramen or exclaiming that he was 'gonna definitely be the best Hokage ever' provided enough comfort for Hinata to forget about her family and their expectations for a while. **_

_**His smile saved her.**_

_**She tried wiping away her tears but this time they refused to cease; she had been holding them back for too long a time. She had tried so hard to be strong, to pretend his neglect, or perhaps his sheer obliviousness, didn't bother her. But her façade broke. And now here she was, reduced to tears, disappointment and utter heartbreak.**_

_**'You need to be strong, Hinata.' **_

_**'But what's the point if he's not even going to acknowledge my hard work?'**_

_**'Please! You know you don't need his approval to become a better ninja and a stronger person. You should just forget it.'**_

_**'F-forget... Forget Naruto-kun's approval?'**_

_**'You should just forget him all together. Then, the pain would go away...'**_

_**Inner Hinata then decided to leave her alone with her thoughts and pain. Hinata trembled from crying, hiccupping as she tried to catch her breath, but her mind was suddenly crystal clear. Maybe the pain would disperse, maybe... If all of her thoughts were free of Naruto she could solely focus on training, ninja duty and her duties as the distinguished Hyuuga heiress. She could move on, seeing as he had already quickly moved on from Konoha matters to Sasuke matters, since the village had begun to rebuild. To continue waiting for him would be childish, especially since he had never given her a reason to indicate that he felt anything towards her besides friendship. **_

_**'Besides, he has Sakura. And soon Sasuke. Once his team is back together and **_

_**Sakura realizes she could easily have Naruto if she simply asked, all will be well for him. **_

_**'…So why can't all be well for me as well?'**_

"They're back!"

"What?"

"They've come back! They need time to resupply and take a break."

"That's right. They've been on his tail a while... But it's best that they come back and rest."

"Yea maybe reevaluate a plan to catch him. Who knows if he even wants to be saved?"

"Well either way, they're not going to give up soon. That's that kid's nindo, eh?"

Hinata's eyes widened and she backed up in a hurry, turning away from the two conversing men in front of a display of shops. She needed to get home. Dinner could do without the side of potatoes that she had forgotten to pick up. She couldn't do this. It was too soon. The lid of her memories was about to pry open; it was a lid tightly sealed yet she hadn't expected it to be chiseled open so quickly.

She turned a corner around a large cedar fence and suddenly stopped running, stepping on her toes with one blue sandaled heel. She breathed in and out thrice, wondering why she was running all of a sudden. Potatoes. She still needed to pick up potatoes for dinner. She was strong. She could get through this. Her feelings had thoroughly changed. She couldn't even remember his face or his eye color.

She couldn't even remember his name.

Making her way back, Hinata looked again at her grocery list, mentally checking off items she had already bought. Her plan was to help cook the dinner herself, feeling inspired to impress her father; plus, she was good at cooking. She had been told many times that her bentos were exceptional and that with her cooking, she'd make a great wife someday. Though, she was more focused on pleasing her father for this next meal than dwelling on who had complimented her.

Turning another corner, she bumped into someone, dropping her bags in the process. The two bent to the ground at the same time to collect the fallen goods and Hinata noticed two large, tan hands near her small, delicate ones.

"Oi! H-Hey, Hinata-chan."

Hinata looked up to somehow familiar bright blue eyes. Without even thinking, a name rolled off her tongue with more ease than she would have liked.

"Naruto-kun."

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><p>Yea so. I don't really know yet hahaa. Just a what-if scenario I suppose.<p>

REVIEW PLEASEEE! :D


	2. Chapter 2

Hi again! Well onto chapter two! -again , I'm sorry if I get wordy...blah PLEASE feel free to critique me!- Thanks to my reviewers/ story alerters for your support! =gives kissess=

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><p>"Hey there, Hinata-chan... It's been a long time, ne?" Naruto handed her the fallen grocery bags and then rubbed the back of his neck.<p>

"Yes, it's been a long time," She responded coolly, her white eyes a dull gray. Naruto's eyebrow twitched. Hadn't her eyes been a brighter white a moment ago? Or maybe a brighter glow in her eyes was how he has remembered her after the long separation of distance and time. Speaking of time, Hinata had grown into a rather lovely woman, supple and curvy in the right places, though still petite and modest. He had grown in height a bit more as well but he noticed in Hinata her enhanced auras of grace and gentleness and something he did not remember from his childhood: a sense of unfamiliarity. There was something different that he couldn't quite place, something foreign and distant like the dull look in her eyes.

They both stood up together and Naruto blurted, "You've changed a bit. Not too much though." And he laughed.

She smiled curtly, responding while cocking her head to the side, "Is that a compliment, Naruto-san?"

Naruto's laughing face faltered, not **ever** recalling Hinata calling him Naruto-san. And then his cheeks flushed, supposing what he said could have been a compliment or insult which wasn't his intention. "Gomen...I've never been good with words heheh."

"It's alright. I see." And that was all she said. Naruto couldn't remember Hinata being the most talkative, that was usually Sakura or Ino or most times himself, but the silence that followed her response shouldn't have been so...awkward. The lack of talking lay a heavy quietness between them as they continued to stare politely at each other. Naruto increased the rubbing of his neck to scratching the back of his head, while Hinata just stood erect with her groceries in hand. "Well, it was good to see you Naruto-san. However I must get going; I need to finish getting the ingredients for tonight's dinner. Take care." Her voice cracked subtly at the end of her farewell, but at least she hadn't stuttered.

And with that she turned on her heel and went about her way leaving a very confused Naruto behind. First reason that Naruto was confused: he realized that the entire time they were speaking, though albeit not that long at all, Hinata did not stutter once. It was a puzzling and extremely surprising phenomena indeed. Second reason Naruto was confused: her composure was very businesslike and formal. It was like they were never even friends. Naruto really didn't understand how that happened but it bothered him. It bothered him how she now called him 'san', a term he had never heard her use for him. It wasn't the same Hinata that's for sure. But she seemed more confident in herself, more composed and sophisticated. Maybe that was the good part of her change. She didn't even show a sign of fainting near him. That was an even better part. But still if he hadn't seen her eyes, because he knew her eyes, he would have believed that she was any other Hyuuga than Hyuuga Hinata. 'although I probably could tell if it was Neji...' He followed the girl as she returned to the market. "Hey, Hinata-chan!"

She didn't hear him and thus didn't turn.

"Hinata chan!"

Still no response.

"Hinata-chaaann!" He put a tanned hand on her small shoulder, causing her to look up in surprise. Her mouth hung open slightly and she merely said "Hai?"

Naruto flushed again, furrowing his brows and instantly removing his hand from her shoulder as if it burned him. Hinata didn't seem at all phased and still stared questioningly at him. "Uhm, do...do you want me to carry your groceries home for you?"

"Oh Naruto-san, there's no need. I can handle it, and the mansion is really not that far from town. Thank you very much though!"

"Uh, but I really want to. I wanted to talk." She stared up at him, expecting another answer, a better answer maybe. "We haven't seen each other for almost two years. I thought maybe we'd, I don't know, catch up?"

She smiled again, that strange upward curve of her lips with her pretty eyes closed. 'That would be a weird face to get stuck like that,' he thought out of the blue. 'It's really not natural at all. I wonder if she thinks that that is convincing. Wait did I just refer to her eyes as pretty. He looked next to him. Well I'm not really lying! So it's not bad to say. She even gives Sakura a run for her money in the looks department. ' "Here," Naruto smiled, moving close to her and freeing her hands, receiving the groceries. They then started down the road to the mansion of Hyuuga. They took a few paces staring straight ahead in the most chilling awkward silences Naruto had ever experienced. He gave her a sideways glance with his bright blue eyes but she didn't notice. They hadn't seen each other for a while, there must be plenty to talk about!

"So, Hinata chan, how have you been! What have you been up to?" he grinned brightly. She seemed to back away from his eagerness but responded with a similar vigor in her voice that did not reach her eyes.

"I am well. Clan duty has been very prominent in my everyday life." She stopped. Naruto waited. "And you?"

'Oh... I guess she's done,' Naruto thought. " I had to start vigorously training with the Killer Bee and ..." He continued talking about the after effects of Pein and the Madara uprising. He mentioned the Kages uniting and villages preparing for the war. He stopped, realizing he had been talking enthusiastically for a while. Naruto, in his older, more mature age, knew to back off a bit to prevent being too overwhelming which he tended to be when he got on talking. "Heh, sorry. I haven't spoken to anyone about all that in a while. I kinda get like that, even with speaking I think, I'm so deadest on getting a job done that I don't quit 'til it's all finished, whether it be a story or a mission. Like...oh, when we were looking for that weird beetle that could hunt down Sasuke's scent, remember?"

"I don't"

"...huh?"

"Gomen Naruto-san. I don't really recall that at all..."

He gave a strange laugh. "What's with this 'san' stuff?"

"Uhm, pardon?" Hinata looked completely perplexed.

"N-nevermind..." Wow, now **he **was stuttering over his words. What a weird turn around. "Well, it doesn't matter about that beetle thing, I guess. It was a long time ago. Silly memory-ttebayo!"

" 'ttebayo?"

"Ne, Hinata-chan?"

"What is 'ttebayo'?" The word sounded foreign on her tongue like she had never heard it's utterance before. Naruto just stared dumbly at her. He even stopped walking, falling a few paces behind Hinata. She pretty much mispronounced it! Shaking his head quickly, he caught back up to her and said, "Uhm... Nothing. Just something I say..."

"Oh." She changed the subject since Naruto seemed a bit disheartened about the previous one. "Have you seen anyone else since you came back?"

"Uhm no, not really. After talking to Sakura once we arrived I pretty much scaled the Konoha market."

At the mention of Sakura, Hinata's eyes turned cold yet her smile remained. "Ah Sakura-san. I presume your relationship is well?" If this question alone didn't catch Naruto off guard, then the sudden tense atmosphere that simply engulfed them certainly did.

"Uhm, yea sorta."

"Quite nice."

"Yea... Quite."

She didn't notice he seemed a little dejected when he responded. He thought he had been obvious, by accident, by letting the tone of his answer be an example of his emotions but when Hinata said nothing and didn't give a look of concern, Naruto decided it wasn't the time to mention Sakura anymore, for both their sakes.

"You know, you should keep looking for old friends to revisit. There are those who have missed you." She could have meant her. She really could have, he almost expected that to be the case based on her word choice. But actually, **how** she said her statement implied that the group of 'those' people did not include her. Naruto tried to smile again and said he definitely would keep looking for people to catch up with. By then they arrived at the Hyuuga Mansion Gate Entrance.

"Well, I guess I'll see you around," Naruto said, handing her the grocery bags once again. "Yes." She turned to open the gate. Naruto stood there, leaning on one leg, and just waited. These silences were continually making him uncomfortable.

"…I-I'll be in Konoha for a little bit. Since ya know, we still have to go after Sasuke-teme." He felt the need to explain to her what his reasons were. But her disinterest showed through, as she made no reaction to such news, and Naruto couldn't allow himself to say anything else on the matter. Because of this, he almost felt as if what was going on with him wasn't even worth her time and he supposed he couldn't blame her, seeing as they hadn't even spoken for almost two years. Yet, even with that reasoning, he couldn't understand why he himself felt rather uneasy about it.

"Yes. I see." She nodded her head once in understanding. Naruto swallowed hard, trying to think of something else to say, when he noticed a scratch on the back of Hinata's ankle. It was a bit red and bruised, as if just recently sliced with a fingernail.

"Hinata-chan…your leg…" Hinata turned to him with **that** smile etched on her face, her long dark hair swishing around her.

"Arigato, Naruto-san, for helping me out today." She opened the gate, the gate of many purposes, one of which to separate. "Take care of yourself." And with that, the swift noise of the shutting gate rang in Naruto's ears. 'Her words were so…final.' Naruto thought, shoving his hands in his pockets and walking away. '...like she planned on not meeting again.' He stared at his feet as he went. Where to, only his feet knew, for they were simply taking him upon their own will.

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><p>I've got a whole buncha chapters lined up... and I STILL don't know exactly where this is going xD oh well, please keep reading and REVIEWINGGGG! ;) much love!<p> 


	3. Chapter 3

I honestly don't know what to say besides I'm going downstairs to get some ice cream after this :) Enjoy the next chapter!

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><p>Hinata locked the gate behind her and fell back on it, leaning against it for strength. She walked across the stones leading to the front of her home, a slight limp in her step. A bit of blood ran freely down her ankle and seeped into the leather of her sandal. Her sister was sitting on the wooden flooring outside of the slide away doors, weaving her fingers in and out of a brightly colored string. As she walked past her, Hinata said, "Ohayo Hanabi-chan."<p>

"Ohayo Onee-chan," Hanabi replied, continuing with her cat's cradle. Hinata went to go inside, but her sister said, "Nee-san... You're bleeding." Hinata tried to open the door with her hands full of packages. "It's fine. It just a scratch."

"You did it again, didn't you." It was more of a statement than a question, a fact rather than a theory. Hinata hesitated and fumbled with the door handle.

After a moment, she gave a light laugh. "That's silly. I didn't...why in the world would I do that to myself?"

Hanabi spun the thread intricately around her fingers. "I suppose I cannot think of a valid reason." Hinata smiled in relief. "...unless you saw Uzumaki Naruto. I've heard he's returned to Konoha."

Something tightened in Hinata's chest. She spoke indifferently, "I may have seen him in the market while I was there, but from a distance. I'm not even entirely sure it was hi-"

"...I saw him there when you opened the gate, nee-chan..."

"...oh." Nothing got past Hanabi; she was immensely intelligent, incredibly observant and rather blunt about it. Hinata didn't mind at all, she loved her sister to death, but now she was in a pickle. Hinata didn't normally lie, one reason why was because she was rather bad at it, another because when she was caught she was terrible at covering it up. She now racked her brain for a suitable answer.

"Well...I...uhm he saw me and...uh..." She wasn't very successful.

"It's alright. No need to explain. I won't tell Father about it if you don't want me to."

Hinata suddenly composed herself, her eyes half lidded and voice smooth and calm. "Well there's no secret, whether you mention it again or not doesn't really matter. He saw me and offered to carry the bags home for me. There was no reason to decline." Hinata opened the door with a new air of dignity.

"Remember to clean your wound." Hanabi called after her as Hinata went inside.

"Thanks _little sister_!" Hinata responded and laughed, her voice echoing down the hallway.

Hanabi paused, her threading fingers still. She looked after her older sister and then turned to the front gate, analyzing it's ridges and height, it's dark color and it's strong built.

"I wonder if that sort of strength will hold up for long..."

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><p>Okay, so that wasn't the welcome he had been expecting after practically two years. Last time he recalled, she had flat out fainted when he spoke to her. Twice, actually, she had fainted upon seeing him. He half-smiled at the fond memory. Not really feeling up to going home to his empty, probably still dirty apartment, Naruto strolled along the same dirt path Hinata and he had travelled just a little while ago. Hinata's actions still plagued his thoughts and he couldn't fathom why. Thinking of her made him so flustered with frustration that he violently rubbed the back of his neck again, as if doing so would make him understand the changes that had occurred while he'd been gone. His blonde hair had grown longer, the tips of his locks now reaching as far as the base of the back of his neck, very much like his father's hair had been. And as his hand kept touching the hair, he was reminded of how he himself had changed. He was taller, sure, and his muscles were more toned, his shoulders more broad and his face more defined. On a personal note, he figured he was more mature, having dealt with an array of difficult situations and obstacles already. His skills were sharpened and he modestly could say that he could detect anything coming or going from yards away with his improved senses.<p>

However, he probably hadn't been the most observant friend in the past; he'd been kind of busy, in his defense, with the Kyuubi and Atatsuki threats, not to mention Sasuke's whole going going-away-and-totally-turning-to-the-dark-side deal. Still, while he hadn't expected any of that to be easy, it was taking longer than predicted.

Yet he still knew Hinata from their academy days and had even took on a few missions with her. She was quiet and sometimes hidden in the shadows; to be honest Naruto rarely noticed her unless she spoke up, which was infrequent, or he sought her out for help, which was even more infrequent. But he liked people like her; she was brave when she needed to be, like in the chuunin exams, and she knew the right thing to say at the right time, when she told him she believed in him before his fight with Neji. She never seemed unfriendly to anyone though, no matter who it was. Not even someone like me, the Kyuubi container. Was he noticing actual differences, or was he overanalyzing? Maybe he was thinking too much about it.

"Oi! Oi, Shino, look who it is!" A voice in front of him barked. Naruto looked up and coincidently saw Kiba, Shino and Akamaru on the side of the path, leaning again an oak tree. "Hey, Naruto!" Kiba barked again, sticking out a hand to shake when Naruto came close. "How've ya been?"

"Not bad," Naruto replied, taking his hand and giving it a firm shake. He also nodded to Shino. "It's good to be back. How are you guys?" He asked, petting Akamaru's large head. As the dog barked in contentment, the boys nodded in response. The two had also grown in stature and build but their typical clothing didn't change much. The three of them had turned from lanky male teenagers into well-built young men, three of the finest ninja of their generation and Naruto thought how it really was great to see them again.

"Quite nice. The whole village has been anticipating your return," Shino responded, his face sill covered by his large collar and dark goggle glasses.

"Yea, everyone's been talking about it. Who knew all this was going down?" Kiba piped in, the red marks on his cheeks curving as he gave Naruto a pointy toothed smile. They talked for a while, catching up, chatting about old times and what the other Rookie 9 were up to. Continuing to pet the dog, and earning a bark as a thanks, Naruto said, "So...I met up with Hinata before..." The two stopped and stared at him, listening with full attention at the sound of the girl's name. "And she… I don't know… She's changed."

"Yes. Two years can do that," Shino said simply, his dark glasses glinting in the sunlight.

"Yea, I know but it's not like that. Something's different and I can't put my finger on it. Have you guys noticed anything?" The two looked at each other, as if they were silently communicating with their eyes, and turned back to him. Even Akamaru look solemn. Kiba spoke first, "Well at least you've gotten a little smarter since you were last here."

"Or maybe more observant of things." Shino suggested.

"But yea, Hinata did change somewhat. She's really close to her family now..."

"She's always trying to impress them is what he means."

"Yea she's been pretty devoted to all that heiress stuff."

"I guess that's not it either," Naruto said. It seemed like she didn't want to be near me...like I wasn't even worth looking at." Even mentioning this hit a sore spot for Naruto. He didn't enjoy reliving feelings that tortured him when he was a lonely unloved child.

Kiba spoke up as a matter-of-factly, "All I know is, she hasn't mentioned anything about you once in the time you've been gone."

"Really?" Naruto said, an eyebrow quirking up, "Why, is that weird?"

Kiba gave a half-hearted laugh but didn't answer. Shino did instead, but not before hesitating first. "Let's just say, for Hinata-sama, you were a frequent topic of conversation that she never had the courage to voice."

"...huh?"

"You were an admired, respected and especially prominent figure in Hinata-sama's eyes, very much on her mind daily." he emphasized his adjectives. He paused and waited for a response, but nothing came. Naruto just stared back at him with oblivious, un-knowing eyes. "Do you not recall a specific situation that emerged? A certain bit of evidence that was presented to you? A confession, perhaps, of a long held, incredibly important secret of Hinata-sama's?"

Naruto backed away a little from Shino, who seemed to be closing in on him with only the power of his steel-tone voice. He didn't acknowledge any memory of what Shino was talking about.

"C'mon, that's enough, Shino." Kiba cut in, a scowl on his face.

"He should know what she went through, Kiba." Shino said harshly, his glinting lenses staring Naruto down.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to get into anything this sensitive…" Naruto quickly said, holding his hands up. This was not what he was expecting as an answer.

"It's cool," Kiba said to Naruto, but was now looking at Shino with his thin black pupils. "Besides, things with Hinata are completely different now, right Shino?"

"I suppose. But one shouldn't disregard that path that brought her here." Naruto could feel the tension; he could tell Shino was glaring at him from behind those infamous, round sunglasses. This was definitely the wrong thing to bring up; he didn't know it was so serious. Shino had a way of scaring people without even looking threatening, even without the bugs. Heck, his voice even remained cool and calm when he was pissed off angry.

"G-gomen." Naruto stuffed his hands in his pockets and looked at his feet, kicking a pebble or two. "Wha-what happened to her? What did she go through?"

Now Shino stayed quiet, apparently hurt by the answer.

Kiba then took his turn to speak. "It's really not our place to say. We shouldn't even have said this much. You should ask Hinata about it."

"Now THERE'S an idea." Shino said sarcastically.

"Well, he'd get a better answer than you throwing this on him!"

"She wouldn't tell him that it was because of **him**! We're talking about Hinata!"

Akamaru gave a loud bark, even he was frustrated with this convoluted, tense conversation. Naruto looked from one boy to the other during their argument. He cocked his head and asked, "…him?"

They looked back at him.

"Him who?"

Their jaws dropped. "Think long and hard about it, Naruto. You didn't before, so you should now." Shino said, turning in his large overcoat and heading down the path without so much as a goodbye.

"And try being nice to Hinata. Like Shino said, she's been through a lot." And with that, he and Akamaru followed Shino's footsteps, leaving Naruto behind. He now stood alone by the large tree. Naruto sighed and decided to just go home, feeling worse and worse about coming back to Konoha.

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><p>I apologize if it felt a bit rushed...Eh I don't know anymore...I recently got back from vacation with my best friends (us 6 go up to a lakehouse and chill out every year, its pretty wonderful) and I'm really going to miss them, so I've been feeling sort of down :(<p>

Some reviews might make me happier :D I'll continue writing and will post soon, I promise!


	4. Chapter 4

I'm back! Hello there, lovely readers/reviewers/Naruhina shippers, etcetcc :D I like this chapterr, haha I'm starting to enjoy this story...I guess it's about time? haha ENJOY!

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><p>Naruto slurped his noodles, and then gobbled up some shrimp-naruto from the bottom of his bowl. Somehow ramen always made him feel better. It had taken him a while, meaning a couple of days, to boost his spirits up; he did see old friends like Shikamaru who was getting to look a lot like his former sensei, Azuma-san, and Rock Lee who was filled with the spirit of youth more than ever. Talking with them had cheered him up a bit, but his mind was still occupied with Hinata. He tried doing things used to do, for nostalgia purposes, such as sitting on the Hokage monument in thought, passing by his old academy swing, and doing a few jutsus at the training grounds. Still, nothing seemed to shake the depressing feelings he dealt with since his run-in with the former Team 8.<p>

Ayame the waitress, noticed Naruto was less than enthusiastic than normal as he finished another bowl. She wiped the counter down, rubbing her cloth around in circles to clean the surface and said, "Something on your mind, Naruto?"

It took him a while to pick his head up. "Just...a lot of crap. The usual."

"Well maybe you should take a break from thinking. That's why you came back, isn't it? To relax?"

He cupped his empty bowl in his hands. "I guess..."

She took the bowl and the others around him, piling one on top of the other. "Clear your head. Do something you want to do."

Naruto was silent. He had no idea what he wanted; he'd always been preparing for the missions that he HAD to accomplish. Now he had a choice. And he was stuck on deciding, with so many opportunities.

"And don't go alone because, you'll just end up getting lost in thought again."

"That makes sense..." He seemed kind of indifferent to the idea.

"Go on," she insisted. "Look for some people to hang out with!"

"People..." he murmured, getting up from his stool. He couldn't remember a day where he'd do activities just because he wanted to do them. Becoming a hero, a protector and a savior really didn't leave time for that; it was a pretty selfless and time consuming job. He could take a break. Sure, that'd be nice. Brushing the fabric above the Ichiraku doorway past his head with a risen hand, Naruto blinked as he emerged into the sunlight.

He took a walk, vaguely thinking that Ayame suggested finding someone to spend time with. He dismissed the feeling of obligation. He would find someone soon; it was his day to do what he wanted after all.

And Naruto proceeded to think about nothing, observing the sky and trees. Small thoughts popped up in his head, for example about the small birds on the tree branches and how cool it must be to be able to fly, or about the forest and how it looks at night as opposed to day. Other than his few observations and ponderings, his mind was completely blank. And it was pretty wonderful.

Hinata stood near the pond in the middle of the woods. The small waterfall flowing down into the basin of the pond looked pristine and crystal clear. She just gazed at the beauty of it all, the flowing water, the solitude of the surrounding trees, the sunlight that peaked in through holes in the canopy of leaves. She breathed in deeply, her mind clear. Suddenly, she heard a rustling behind her; she turned and saw Naruto approaching from behind a few trees.

Naruto saw Hinata and, despite the previous events that had occurred between the two, was actually really happy to see her. It must have been something about the way they had left off, but he wanted to make it better. Whether she could remember or not, they had been friends and if Hinata had suffered while he was gone, he at least wanted to make sure she was okay now. That sort of reasoning was logical; it made sense, but it didn't explain why something inside him warmed right up when she turned to face him. He waved his arm above his head energetically, "What a coincidence, eh Hinata-chan?"

"Yes. Very much so, Naruto-san," Hinata answered and swiftly turned back around to the waterfall. Naruto's arm stayed in the air hesitantly as he saw her turn her back to him, but Kiba's words rung in his ears.

_And try being nice to Hinata. Like Shino said, she's been through a lot..._

'Maybe the coldness is a result of her suffering.' Naruto guessed and shrugged off the creeping feeling running through him, the one that made him feel like he wasn't even worth acknowledging further than what she had done. 'C'mon, Naruto, be strong!'

_'Because you fail, you have the strength to get back up...I believe that's what true strength is...'_

Naruto grinned instantly, recalling something she had said to him long ago, and went to stand next to the girl, who was now closing her eyes. He waited for her to open her eyes again. When she did, she gave a little jump when she saw him suddenly there. It also didn't help that he was staring. "What are you thinking about?" he said bluntly, but with a genuinely soft tone.

"Nothing," she answered, smiling. He raised his brows, but she continued. "I come here a lot... and when I do... the tranquility just makes me want to ...stop thinking." She created pauses in between her speech; it reminded Naruto of her old stuttering, something he sorely missed since it just seemed to fit Hinata.

"It becomes relaxing...and sometimes 'nothing' can be... pretty wonderful." She hadn't meant to answer in such personal detail, but in any sense she got her point across; Naruto smiled toothily now.

"Yea, pretty wonderful." They both closed their eyes and thought of nothing together.

And for a while, it was peaceful. Then Hinata opened her eyes and began to walk away. "So long." she said.

Naruto's eyes snapped opened. "Huh, what?" he saw her leaving and went after her.

"I must go to the market," she said.

"W-wait!" He reached out and grabbed her wrist. A chill ran up her spine and she instinctively looked to him, though she did not want to. "I could...carry your bags home again... if you want."

She looked at his hand around her wrist and slipped her arm free. He looked a bit disheartened, but she tentatively said "Alright." She then continued walking towards town. He followed her, walked her home, as they chatted idly and a little more warmly this time for a good bit of time. So much time past in fact, by the time they had finished talking, it was dusk outside and Naruto was about to pop back over to Ichiraku's for dinner. He wasn't going to tell Hinata that, that he couldn't even cook for himself, while there she was about to cook dinner for her whole family, but he **was** going to give Ayame a big thanks for the advice.

They said their goodbyes with curt waves and shy, awkward smiles. Naruto turned to go as Hinata went through the gate, and with a last look at one another, they parted, feeling rather good about their day.

And it continued. The next day Naruto ran into her again and offered once again to take her groceries home. Her smiling face had faltered while she thought about it. She couldn't find the harm in it; the coincidences that kept coming up just perplexed her a bit. So she nodded and they were on their way once again.

The day after that Naruto was talking to Sakura, well more like getting his ear chewed off by Sakura when he saw Hinata out of the corner of his eye. Completely ignoring Sakura's last few statements, he waved to Hinata and called a greeting rather loudly. In his enthusiasm he knocked Sakura over, and earned such a good punch to the face that it blew him twenty yards, at which he landed in a heap at Hinata's feet. Sakura yelled from where he once stood, something about a jackass who doesn't know how to listen or keep his cool in public, and stomped away. Hinata helped him up, asking if he was alright.

When he stood holding his cheek, their eyes locked; the expression on Naruto's face caused Hinata to giggle and the pretty tone of her laugh caused Naruto to laugh. They continued laughing, their chuckles erupting into a fit of contagious peals, not noticing the confused passerbys. And they stood there in the middle of town, just laughing.

When they calmed down, Naruto noticed the plastic bags in Hinata's hands. Giving her a crooked smile, he said "I could carry those home for you."

Lines crinkled around her eyes and she said, "I suppose."

Every day for about a week, this occurred; Hinata and Naruto would run into each other, he'd be wandering, she'd be shopping, he'd offer and she'd accept, they'd walk and talk, laugh and smile. They'd part for the evening with a last look behind them and a good feeling afterwards. It was a satisfying pattern, and people around them noticed. Sakura didn't have much to say about it, but she eyed Naruto with a weird look frequently whenever he mentioned Hinata's name. Ayame and ol' Teuchi always had knowing smiles on their faces whenever Naruto mumbled something about Hinata through splutters and slurps of noodles, which was more comforting than Sakura's typical reaction. For Hinata, on the other hand, Hanabi would always be waiting behind the gate when Hinata walked in. She'd ask vague questions about Hinata's day and who she spent it with.

One night, Hanabi was waiting on the steps outside the front gate, playing cat's cradle. Naruto and Hinata approached her, "Hanabi-chan." Hinata smiled. "What are you doing out here?"

"Waiting." The young girl replied, performing a unique trick with her thread.

Naruto, who couldn't even remember properly meeting Hinata's little sister, bowed politely with his head. "Hi there. I'm Uzamaki Naruto." He grinned with his eyes closed.

"I know." She simply said.

"Hanabi!" Hinata scolded lightly.

"Hyuuga Hanabi. Nice to finally meet you, Uzamaki Naruto."

Naruto half-smiled and laughed at her bluntness.

"Hanabi-chan, what are you waiting for?" Hinata asked, receiving the grocery bags from Naruto.

"I was waiting for you two. You've been coming every night, Uzamaki Naruto-"

"I-it's really just fine to call me Naruto…" Naruto cut in. "Uzamaki Naruto sounds way too formal!"

Hanabi looked at him with her piercing white eyes; they were much sharper and harder than her sister's, like finely cut diamonds. "Are you proposing I should become informal with you? Are you becoming familiar with the family?"

Naruto felt like he had just gotten punched in the gut. Hinata also became flustered and coughed lightly, sighing afterwards. "N-n-no! That's really not what I meant at all. It just kind of made me uncomfortable with the whole- name deal, but if you want to call me that…y-you know…I'm totally cool with that!"

Hanabi continued to look at him with her impressionable eyes. Shrugging, she played her cat's cradle without even glancing down at her fingers. "Like I said before, you've been a frequent companion with my onee-chan on her walks home. I figure that since you've been so helpful in the past week, keeping her company, protecting her on her travels, carrying her bags…"

Hinata and Naruto looked as if they wanted to say, it really wasn't that big of a deal, but didn't want to hurt the other's feelings, -and also was a bit afraid of interrupting Hanabi again-, so they let her continue.

"…you should receive a reward."

This Naruto had to object to. "No, really. I absolutely don't want anything for this. I'm really not looking to get anything out of this, like besides friendship!" He gave an embarrassed laugh and looked at Hinata, who if she didn't have her bags to hold, would have her hands covering her face in embarrassment from her sister and Naruto's statements.

Hanabi stood. "I only mean that since you go home without a finely cooked meal every night, that you deserve my sister's cooking once in a while, especially since you kindly help her every day."

"Hey, Ichiraku has finely cooked meals!" Naruto tried to defend it, but again, Hanabi's gaze towards him stopped him from saying anything even remotely convincing.

Hinata turned to him, looking absolutely horrified. Naruto looked back at her, more confused. "You eat ramen noodles every night, Naruto-s-san?"

She stuttered. Naruto was dumbfounded. She had actually stuttered; it was small, unnoticed by most, but it was there. Even Hanabi's eyebrows furrowed in shocked. "Y-yea, I guess I do." Naruto answered her, smiling with his own eyebrows drawing together. "I'm a really lousy cook myself."

"Like I said." Hanabi responded and went to open the gate. "I insist you come on inside." And with that, she headed on in. Hinata and Naruto looked at each other, both knowing instantly they couldn't refuse her. Hinata even began to insist, having the most trouble fathoming the reality that Naruto maybe never had a home cooked meal in his life. Naruto followed her, hesitating as he passed through the gate, but continued to the mansion inside, looking at the gardens and the nice front view of the big house.

"Hinata tends to the gardens," Hanabi said from the front of their little line, noticing Naruto appreciating the flowers and well-grown plants.

"Does she really?" He smiled broadly, sounding exceptionally impressed. He waited for it, he waited for the blush to come. But it didn't; Hinata just hung her head, growing more embarrassed. Naruto shrugged it off, nudged her lightly on the shoulder, "This is all really great, Hinata-chan! I had no idea!"

"Thank you, Naruto-san." She said, with a hint of a smile on her face. Upon entering the halls of the mansion, they lost Hanabi along the way; she wanted to stop by to tell her father the exciting news of the Uzamaki boy staying for dinner.

"Is this your Okaa-san?" Naruto said as they approached a small, quaint shrine in one of the many hallways. He stopped and knelt by the shrine, picking up his hands in respect.

"H-hai." He had heard the small stutter again and smiled even wider. "She was very pretty; a skilled ninja. My father talks her sometimes fondly of her kindness and pure compassion."

"Sounds like you two are a lot alike." Naruto turned to her and smiled warmly from his kneeling position. Hinata's cheeks flushed; it was the first time he had seen her blush since he arrived back in Konoha. There it was, Naruto was elated. He'd have to tell her someday, when she could recall her old habits, how happy he had been to hear a stutter. Her cheeks pink, her hands tried to over her face in embarrassment.

"I'm sure you miss her." Naruto said softly, saying a quick prayer and getting to his feet. Hinata couldn't respond, fighting a lump that was rising in her throat as her face contorted in sadness and embarrassment. She suddenly started slapping her cheeks hardly, desperate to stop the slow, involuntary rush of blood to her face. It stung. It was painful. She didn't notice it much. She just needed to stop the blush. Just to stop it.

The slapping stopped. Hinata opened surprised eyes. Naruto had taken both her hands in his and brought them down from her red face. His face was solemn and he gently pulled their joined hands towards his chest. Taking a few steps backwards, he led her away from the shrine. He released a hand and they continued to walk hand in hand to the dining parlor where dinner would be served.

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><p>Well there you go. A rather longer chapter than the usual...I just didn't know where to split it...and kind of didn't want to. I'm starting to build up some fluff! Do you see it? Can you see it? haha Please Revieww!<p> 


	5. Chapter 5

Sorry it's been a little while.. I hit a writers block, but I came out with my Megaton Hammer and busted the bajeebers out of it and now here's a 3,000 word chapter! Yay. :D Enjoy!

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><p>Dinner at the Hyuuga Mansion had been many things for Naruto. The first thing it was was awkward. He almost had trouble concentrating on the food because Hinata's father, Hyuuga Hiashi had some impressive glare. He didn't even have to try; his default face was one of a stern, incredibly strict and superior clan leader. And having said glare piercing right through you throughout a meal can really distinguish the fiery urge within you to eat everything in sight, because of how delicious it looked. And those looks were far from deceiving.<p>

That was the second thing; it was amazing. Although it was strange, Naruto had this warming buzz in his system the entire night. He hadn't had a meal so delicious before, all thanks to Hinata's impeccable cooking. 'Imagine! They eat like this every night!' Naruto repeatedly thought to himself, as he tried as politely as he could to eat his meal slowly and cleanly. His chopsticks would shake in his fingers from trying to make a good impression; first of all because he was kind of afraid of Hiashi's and even Hanabi's reaction if his table manners were not up to par. Second of all this was the first time Naruto had sat down and had a meal with a family. A real family. The closest he had gotten to this before was a couple of Ichiraku trips with his old team 7, long back when he was 13. And even though it was bit awkward and strange, it was one of the best mealtimes he had ever had (and he had had A LOT of mealtimes).

At the end of the evening, after having said a big thank you to Hinata and her father, Naruto went to get his shoes on at the steps near the front door. Hiashi had requested to speak with his daughter, so Hinata would see Naruto out in only a moment.

"Your shoes are dirty."

Naruto jumped. Hanabi was behind him, her hands folded behind her back. She really resembled her father in that stance.

"O-oh. Hanabi...I didn't notice you the-"

"I do not have time for idle chatter. I only wished to make my presence known; but there is something I'd like to speak with you about as well Uzamaki Naruto." She hadn't failed all night to prove to Naruto how proper and blunt she was, in a frightening way. He shrugged, wiping his mouth with his sleeve.

"Okay. Shoot."

"I dont know if you've noticed..." Hanabi said, looking right into his eyes, "...but my Onee-chan... She has a bruise; right here." she motioned to her left collar bone, in between her shoulder and her neck.

"Uhm...I guess."

"Did you notice or not?"

"I did! Absolutely! I mean... Not that I was staring there or anything. There's nothing interesting about it there."

"It just appeared recently. Within the week. However it has not been the first injury she has received in the past week. Her ankle was cut..."

"Yes I remember that."

"...her toes were scratched up, her wrists look like they been wrung mercilessly, red as if bound by ropes. Even her cheeks at dinner were unusually pinked, not in the flustered sense, but as if she had come across unwelcome physical contact."

Naruto was pensive, knowing that Hinata had begun to slap herself out of nowhere, and hesitantly said, "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying my sister is being injured, though I don't know why. She is injuring herself."

"Okay, so her cheeks were pink. She did that herself but I'm almost sure that was because of embarrassment...but are you sure the rest is not from ninja training? An assumption like that is very serious, especially if it's self-harm."

"She is doing it to herself, constant physical harm. I can just tell. Plus, it has only been incredibly frequent this past week. Ever since you came back." she stared at him. A thought hit him, it almost made all that wonderful food come right back up.

"I do not blame you Uzamaki Naruto. I will not blame you; I also do not in any way shape or form consider or even fathom that YOU are hurting her, despite your recent arrival and the recent injuries that have occurred. No harm is coming to her through outside influence, " Naruto instantly relaxed: of course he would never even dream of causing physical harm to Hinata. He'd never want to hurt her, he'd never want to hurt anyone! He told Hanabi this, and she almost smiled.

"I know. I know... Naruto-sama. Please. Please help my sister. Find out why she's doing it. Please help her, if not for me, but if she means anything to you!" She looked to him with worried eyes, the first emotion he had seen her portray all night. This was the most vulnerable Naruto felt he was ever going to see Hanabi.

Suddenly, Hinata's came out to the patio. "Sorry about that." From the look on both their faces, Hinata became concerned. "Is everything all right?"

"Yep. It's all cool." He turned to Hanabi and bowed. "I'll do my best-ttebayo!" and then he turned to Hinata. "Hinata-chan, that was the best food I've had in ages. Maybe even ever! Your family must be so grateful to have you!"

"Oh Naruto-san...I-it's nothing really. I... I'm very glad you were able to j-join us," Hinata tucked a hair behind her ear, nervously. She was beginning to stutter again, albeit not as frequently as she had in the past.

"Thanks. Thanks alot!" Naruto answered. Hanabi bowed, looking satisfied and headed off inside.

Naruto shoved his hands deep in his pockets and look down at his feet a minute. When he looked back up, he saw Hinata staring at him, slightly confused at his hesitation. "Ah...Hinata-chan. Do you wanna meet up again tomorrow?"

Hinata smiled broadly, purely elated and almost unsure why the happiness engulfed her so quickly. But a thought hit her, and she became immediately depressed. "I...I can't. I really sorry...but I must sit in with a clan meeting with my father."

"Ah. Heiress training?"

She smiled, shrugging her shoulders lightly "something like that."

"Eh it's alright. We'll see each other around." He wanted to see her again, so he only implied. He turned to go, but Hinata said, "Maybe after the meeting... We could, uhm..."

Naruto smirked and said, "meet up?"

She nodded, giggling. "It shouldn't take long. I might be out by the early evening."

"I gotta check my schedule," he winked at her, "but I'm pretty sure I'm free then." They laughed; Naruto opened the gates and Hinata laced her fingers together, dropping her hands to rest in front of her. "I'll come by at around 7?"

"Yes. That's fine."

And with that, he headed off for the night, eagerly awaiting the next.

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><p>The next evening, Naruto made his way to the Hyuuga compound dressed in casual wear. He had a tank top with a zipper up hoodie, his blue crystal hanging around his neck, and loose jeans that he rarely got any use out of, with no orange in sight. With a satisfying day behind him, Naruto hoped the rest of his night would surpass the good of the previous time spent.<p>

He had gone to Ino's family shop and bought a small potted plant. Ink had given him the strangest look and with great persistence, tried to get the reason why he of all people would buy a potted plant. He had simply replied that a friend of his took care of many beautiful plants that she inspired him to take up the hobby as well on a much smaller, laid back scale. Besides, the little plant would look nice in his run down apartment.

Ino agreed, but then caught a word; she then persisted to ask who this 'she' was, the she that inspired him. He suddenly remembered he had other errands to run and took his leave with a word of goodbye and his plant in hand. His small plant was now sitting upon his windowsill right near his bedside, happily glistening in the sunlight. With it in his sights in the morning, he'd also remember to water it, which he presumed, with the nice amount of soil, sunlight and eater, would keep the plant alive and thriving. He'd have to tell Hinata about it when it looked really green and impressive.

Unsure of how to enter the compound, Naruto hesitantly knocked on the big, pointed gate door. The knocks echoed as if a gong was sounded and he waited. Nervous and a bit uneasy, he went to knock again, when suddenly the gate opened with a loud creaking noise.

When he saw Hinata, he was sure his cheeks pinked. He knew he thought Hinata was pretty but as he stared at her in her business formal kimono, probably the first time he had seen her in one, all he could think of was how downright gorgeous she was, especially when she smiled at him. She smiled now; he felt his heartbeat skip. Whoa, that was weird. He went to place his hand over his heart, incredibly unsure of what that jerk in his chest was; he began to slowly scratch there instead, brushing it off his mind.

"Sorry to keep you. I just got out. Do you mind waiting a bit longer so I can change?"

He seemed a bit disheartened at the clothing change. "No worries. I just got here. I don't mind at all."

She came it shortly after in a short sleeved blouse and a pleated skirt. Naruto wasn't so upset about the kimono anymore.

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><p>The water was a bit cold, the chill biting at their toes, but hand in hand, Hinata and Naruto stepped into the pond together. Going to the pond in the middle of the forest had been Hinata's idea, after Naruto had persistently insisted she decide where they go, as another thanks for dinner the night before. Naruto could only roll his jeans up to his knees, while Hinata could go farther in without getting too we, because of her skirt. But they weren't going swimming.<p>

"Are you ready?"

"Yes."

After a few hands signs and a collection of chakra, the two rose up together, so the bottoms of their feet met the crystal water's surface. It took Naruto a bit of chakra concentration to stand so fluidly on the water, but for Hinata it seemed like second nature. Hinata opened her eyes, not recalling having shut them, and across from her stood Naruto, who was gazing up towards the bright moon. She stepped closer to him, rippling the water with her footsteps, and reached out her hand. She almost hesitated, and almost didn't do it. She almost reconsidered it. But something insider her confidently pushed her forward. 'Why not? Just do it!'

Her fingers tapped Naruto's shoulder when he turned he saw her scampering away. "You're it!"

He smirked and ran after her, "Not for long!" Their game of tag began. They ran after each other, laughing and skidding on the water. They would splash each other to distract the tagger and make their escape. Clothes soaked and lungs out of breath, the two pranced around each other, the cold of the water the last thing on their minds. For the most part, that was the case with most things they had occupied their minds with recently, business as usual and topics to brood upon.

Their minds now were simply filled with thoughts of one another, their companion for the evening that was so captivating, neither could remember any other person besides themselves even existed.

At one point, Naruto's balance faltered and he plummeted into the water below with a huge splash, as Hinata barely escaped his touch. She scurried away on the water as Naruto resurfaced, spluttering and spitting out water. In the moonlight, Hinata's figure became a silhouette and she began to dance on the water, fluidly waving her arms around her as she spun on her toes.

Naruto was stunned, treading water and watching Hinata dance having a perplexing feeling of dejavu, She laughed light-heartedly; her laugh rang like a bell, through the deep quiet of the night. Twirling, she threw her head back, droplets of water cascading around her, meeting their mother pond with tiny splashes. Naruto gazed in awe; something clicked in his head. In a hurry, he gathered enough chakra to sand again and clumsily ran towards Hinata by the waterfall.

"H-Hinata-chan!" Still unsteady on his feet, he tripped towards her. Hinata eeped as he brought her down with him. When they came up for air, they found they could stand on the underwater rocks, where the water came up to their shoulders. Their hair dripping, Naruto grasped Hinata's arms.

"You were the girl from the waterfall!"

"What?"

"You were the girl all those years ago, dancing on the water!"

"What? I've never done this before! N-not in front of anyone at least!" She tried to get out of his grasp, but she slipped on the rock she was standing on. Naruto caught her by the shoulders before she went under. Spitting out some cold water, Hinata began to sputter out incoherent words; Naruto was too preoccupied with his epiphany that he vaguely noticed her discomfort.

"You were the girl! Remember? You danced on the water and I fell in the water..." He laughed. "And...and... and it scared you away! Oh Kami, I can't believe this!" He smiled so wide his whisker marks became incredibly prominent, making him look foxlike in the moonlight.

"Uh-uhm. I-I don't remem- remember! I don't..."

"You must remember, Hinata-chan!"

"I-I can't! I can't remember!" she shrieked. She could see it; she could see that night in her eyes, the serene water, the dance under the stars, the blonde falling into the water.

She shrieked again, tears building in her eyes. Fighting her way out of his grasp, she jerked away. "N-no!" She made her way to shore, crawling on her hands and knees on the grass and rocks. Naruto followed.

"Hinata-chan...I'm sorry. I didn't mean..."

"I don't remember, Naruto-san!" Hinata quickly turned into a frantic wreck, her hands gripped at the roots of her hair. As Naruto waded in towards her out of the pond, he saw Hinata hunched over, her entire frame shaking. She began to pull at her long beautiful locks in the midst of soft crying, tearing her dark hair from her scalp. "I don't... I-I can't..." It was cold, she shivered. Darkness pooled around her, closing in. The memories, she couldn't take the memories that threatened to resurface.

Strong arms wrapped themselves around her shoulders and back, pressing her head into a warm chest. Naruto tried to calm her, as her crying ran its course through her with every hiccup and sniffle.

"Shh..." he cooed, resting his cheek on the top of her head. "It's alright. It's only a memory."

Only a memory. Hinata held in a breath, pausing, but her emotions overcame her. "I-I'm sorry... I'm s-sorry I'm weak," she sniffled in a shaky voice, between her quiet sobs.

"Don't say that," Naruto answered right away, almost a little harshly. "Please don't say that Hinata-chan. You're not weak at all. Everything's all right. Hinata-chan...Hinata-chan..." It took her a little while, but her clenched fingers slowly released her hair from their grasp. The more he said her name in his soft, husky tone, the calmer she became and the more she moved; her now limber arms met around his torso, embracing him as well.

He smiled sadly at the returned hug and said, "It's all right... Hinata-chan. I'm here, okay? You're not weak when you're with me. I'm here." He held his hand on the back of her head, running it down the length of her tresses for comfort.

"Y-you're here..." she mumbled into his chest. "T-thank you, Naruto-san."

"You don't need to thank me. Really." he whispered, just holding her close. "I'm sorry."

They stayed together until Hinata shivered again from their damp clothes and dripping hair. Naruto noticed and unfolded his arms from around Hinata. She looked up at him, shivering and biting her lower lip, but with a look in her eyes that resembled that of an abandoned puppy. Naruto's hoodie, nice and dry, was now draped around her shoulders. "Here. Put your arms in the sleeves; you'll warm right up."

She was about to protest, so close to saying how she preferred his arms around her for warmth, but thought better of it. 'That's too bold to even think!' Hinata thought, zippering up the hoodie in the front, feeling her cheeks instantly warm right up. She got a whiff of Naruto's scent from the sweatshirt, maybe she could use the hoodie as a substitute for his warm embrace after all.

"C'mon, Hiata-chan. I'll take you home." Naruto reached for her hand; she placed hers in his and held onto his arm, bringing herself up to her feet.

As they walked home though the forest, Naruto said. "I saw a girl once. At a waterfall, on a night just like this, the clearest night sky with the brightest of stars-tebayo! But the only thing that had my attention was her; the figure dancing on the water. Such moves! Ha! And what a figure! She was an amazing being! And for a long while, I thought she was a mythical creature or an angel! Some sort of fantasy. She saw me then, but ran away because she was really shy. It was kind of cute!" He turned to Hinata and smiled widely with his teeth; she stared at him, listening to him like a child listening to a story at bedtime. "And that only made her more intriguing. I haven't seen her since then, but I hope after all this time she hasn't forgotten me...And if she has, then maybe, hopefully, after a little time and patience, she will remember. She will recall the memory I shared with her."

"M-maybe so, Naruto-san. This girl may have t-troubling remembering, but I don't know how she could possibly forget someone like you! I'm sure she'll come around, you'll see. I'm sure of it." She smiled up at him, sincerely, snuggling into his arm as she held it. There were no implications not hidden meanings behind her words; just pure sincerity.

Naruto nodded, but also couldn't help but think how good Hinata looked in his sweatshirt. He blushed and then gave a laugh as they walked home for the night.

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><p>Ta Da :D Review! :D<p> 


	6. Chapter 6

So right now I'm officially in college (that's why it took so long to post this)! So here's a new chapter :P

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><p>"Hey! You're early!" Naruto exclaimed, opening the front door wide.<p>

"I'm sorry. Does that trouble you?" Hinata asked, not entering yet, fearing she had come when he was not yet ready.

"Not at all! I'm glad I didn't have to wait long to see you!"

Hinata let a small blush rise to her face as she stepped through the doorway. She, with her many ingredients in hand, had insisted on coming to Naruto's apartment to make him dinner once again. Ever since the night he ate at her house, Hinata had fretted about Naruto's nutrition and lack of home cooked meals in his everyday diet, so she proposed the other night that she come over and make him a meal herself. He had politely declined, mentioning how it really wasn't a big deal and he wouldn't mind having another ramen bowl that evening. But Hinata had persisted on coming, lightly scolding him on his eating habits and defining what a good, nutritious meal actually was. Naruto didn't mind at all, he LOVED Hinata's cooking; he just felt bad she had to go out of her way to do this. He did get a chance to make a compromise; as thanks for the prepared meal, Naruto promised he would treat Hinata to a dinner of her choice anywhere in the village at a later date.

"The only thing you can't have is a meal prepared by me!" He said. "I would never even wish upon you an Uzumaki home-cooked meal!" Besides this promise, there was another benefit for Hinata for doing this as well. It got her out of the Hyuuga house for a bit. Lately she had been attending numerous clan meetings with her father, dressing in stifling formalwear and dealing with the conflicts alongside the elders and other clan members. She was learning and doing well in her lessons and hands on assignments distributed by the higher ups of the Hyuuga. Not that she didn't like the processes or duties in general, they typically weren't so bad since she was acquiring skills to improve herself in the specific areas, she just had very little free time to herself nowadays.

As she was already eighteen, she would soon be ready to take over the clan, relieving her father, Hiashi, and so the pressure had been building. Tired of the stress, Hinata was glad to see Naruto and especially spend another night with him. Spending time with Naruto made her forget all of her trouble and problems at home. For this, she was grateful. And she had a lot of fun with him; she couldn't remember a time before the past month where she had smiled or laughed more. It really was incredible. He really was incredible. He made her feel pretty wonderful.

There was also a downside to seeing Naruto so much; something inside Hinata's heart ached at times when she was with him. She would black out momentarily and then realize later on that there was a scratch on her leg, or a cut on her lip. Coming to the sickening conclusion, she knew what was happening. She just didn't know _why_ it was happening. Her past haunted her, that she could also figure out, but she was terrified to try and explore it. Naruto would imply that they had known each other well before he left when Konoha was destroyed, he had been mentioning that fact less now, though. However, Hinata had no recollection of anything about the boy except for a few brief encounters in their academy days. She didn't even remember them speaking to each other in their mid-teen years.

So, she concluded there was something she was keeping from herself, a subconscious barrier that held any memory of Naruto inside of her head, refusing to come out any time soon. And seeing as it pained her to even think past that conclusion, she decided it really wasn't important. What mattered now was matters of the present, and the very true feelings that were developing inside her heart. Naruto was exceptionally kind, enthusiastic and good natured, carrying a lot of qualities Hinata found she rather admired. He had grown into a handsome young man as well, which was also a plus. And there was something about his smile that often caught her off-guard, in a good way though.

Her cheeks would burn and her heart would skip a beat. And it would happen every time she peeked a glance at him. This flustered her even more; the first time it happened, she almost had to sit down for fear she was coming down with a fever or head cold or something. But the symptoms went away quickly, it was just bothersome that she couldn't explain them.

She had actually run into her old teammate Kiba and his large dog, Akamaru, and in the midst of conversation asked him what he thought of these symptoms. He had hesitated, just watching her with a strange expression and when she matched him with an utterly confused expression on her face, he guffawed loudly.

"It's just something that may be explained in time. Otherwise, just go with it like you used to."

That gave the clue that she had experienced this before, had survived it, but had also forgotten it. It was another piece of evidence mysteriously lost from her memory, also relating to Naruto. She took Kiba's advice and decided to ignore the constant heating up in the face and racing pulse. She tried to make the best of it, persuading herself that these reactions must have been normal in the past, especially since Kiba hadn't seemed at all phased, let alone worried, and therefore were normal in the present time. It was something to think about when she was more ready, she concluded with finality. 'Ready for what, I haven't a clue,' she thought, entering Naruto's small kitchen.

Naruto came in, propping his arms up on the counter. "So what are we having?" He couldn't help but sound excited; he felt like a child, standing barefoot on the cold tiles of the kitchen while he waited for a treat or a story to be told. He wouldn't ask Hinata right out for that though; but he wouldn't hide his curiosity or happiness that she was there.

She gave him a knowing, but very cute smile, where her cheeks rounded and created the small dimples by her temples. "It's going to be a surprise!"

"Aw man!" Naruto feigned disappointment. "It shouldn't take long to prepare, though, right?" He asked, his mood picking up instantly.

Hinata gave a laugh and said, "We'll see, Naruto-san. We'll see..." She spread the ingredients out on the kitchen counter, a whole assortment of goods, and began washing some vegetables.

Watching her clean, cut and peel like it was the most simplest task, Naruto asked, "Do... you need any help?" Hinata looked a bit surprised, but she smiled brightly with a blush flitting quickly across her cheeks.

"S-sure! If you want to help, that'd be great!"

"Alright!" Naruto rolled up the sleeves of his dark sweater. "What do you want me to do?"

'He looks really good...especially with his forearms showing like that...' With another blush and a stutter, which she was getting fondly used to, Hinata motioned to the cabbage she had set aside, "T-take that." She handed him a knife. "And t-this too. And you're going to cut that up until it's ch-chopped into bits."

They prepared various vegetables, like corn, green onions, bean sprouts and even anori (dried seaweed). Hinata mixed a gooey batter with flour and tempura crumbs.

"Could you get the pan?" Hinata asked.

Naruto turned on the stove and placed the frying pan on top. Hinata poured the batter skillfully, without splashing or quivering at all. The goo sizzled in the pan, rounding into a pancake shape. "Naruto-san, could you get the bonito?"

"Oh man!" Naruto exclaimed in realization, retrieving the fish shavings. "You're making okonomiyaki! That's awesome!"

"Y-yes..." She blushed. "I had a hunch that you would like it."

"Are you kidding? I love it almost as much as ramen! You really are something, Hinata-chan!"

"Naruto-san, I think you compliment me too much." Hinata added the sauce, running around the kitchen now that the okonomiyaki had started cooking. She didn't look at him, keeping herself busy as she said it; all of his compliments made her extremely happy but a little uneasy. In all of her life, she was rarely complimented, it was a miracle if her father ever praised her for doing something right. Now with Naruto's frequent exclamations of praise, Hinata became fidgety, fighting the urge to smile stupidly and fiddle with her fingers. Afterwards, she would always think about how strange that urge was.

Naruto could only smile as he started making the noodles to go along with dinner. "I don't think you get complimented enough..." He mumbled under his breath.

"Nani?" Hinata asked.

"I don't think you get complimented enough." He repeated. He looked her in the eye with a sideways glance, his tone sincere and crystal clear. Hinata locked gazes with him, the cerulean in his eyes glinting from that angle. Her gaze then dropped back to her frying pan; she added the red ginger with a coincidentally red blush.

"A-arigato, Naruto-san..."

They were quiet for a while, the food hissing and bubbling as it contentedly cooked. That wasn't what Naruto intended; he wasn't trying to make her uncomfortable. Maybe he was too forward. Yea, that was probably too bold to say at the moment. He didn't even know why he had said it. At the same time, something else was plaguing him, but he didn't know how to confront it, especially to Hinata. And breaking the thick silence with his own inquiry would probably just make it worse.

"Ah, Naruto-san..." Hinata suddenly said. Naruto's attention was caught. "Is that...a small bonsai tree?"

Naruto looked in the direction to which she was referring. Sitting on his windowsill was another plant he had bought. This spot in the kitchen was perfect for the small tree since the sunlight poured in through the window for the majority of the day.

"Uh, yeah," He laughed. "It is."

"It's lovely." Hinata admired the plant, observing in approval the rich brown color of the bark and the round, greener than green leaves protruding from the multitude of thin branches.

"Thanks. I have a couple of plants scattered around the apartment now. But this one is definitely one of my favorites."

"I can see why; this one is so green and healthy! Naruto-san, I didn't know you enjoyed taking care of plants!"

"Eh, it's a fairly recent hobby I've taken up." He gave a chuckle. She giggled softly, prettily as usual, and they were silent again. But this time, the silence was much more comfortable. A good passage of time elapsed while they made dinner, humble and quiet, content with just one another's company. Every now and then one would make an observatory comment, or ask the other a minuscule question, and then they'd succumb to the quietness once again, smiling to themselves as they did so.

"..And Sakura-san?"

"Hn?" Naruto slurped a noodle down. They were eating now at Naruto's small table next to each other. He had cleaned and scrubbed the kitchen area meticulously before Hinata arrived so it looked spotless, a quaint atmosphere to eat in. He also exclaimed loudly that on his plate was the absolute best okonomiyaki ever before and after he had taken his first bite. Halfway through their meal, they had begun talking simply about their day when Hinata brought the subject of Sakura up.

"H-how has Sakura-san been? You mentioned you saw her today."

"Oh. Yeah, that. Sakura-chan...She's been alright. Kinda angry. Sometimes. Irritated easily, and never lets me forget it!" He let out a dry laugh.

"Sounds like she's not doing so well. Do you...plan on leaving soon?"

"...uhm. No, not really. We have nothing to go on yet. I think she's just frustrated about all that Sasuke-teme crap. Plus, he did try to kill her, which I'm sure she's still obviously freaking out about-"

"He tried to kill her?" Hinata cut in, looking absolutely stunned.

"Yea, she went after him, actually to kill 'im herself. But she hesitated and he went to strike. She was lucky I was there to save her!"

"Oh... you saved her?" For some reason, Hinata became disheartened, her mood falling instantly. But why? Sakura-san was a nice friend, even to Hinata; neither had anything against one another, or so she thought. But every time Naruto mentioned Sakura's name, Hinata wanted to cringe. Funny, she couldn't fathom why.

"Uh-huh. That was a little while ago though, I figured she'd get over the whole Sasuke deal by now anyway. I think it's kind of dramatic...but I guess she really loves that teme after all, for whatever reason..."

Hinata tried to catch up, the conversation getting confusing. "So Sakura-san loves Sasuke-kun, but she tried to kill him?"

"Y-yeah, I guess it sounds a bit silly..."

"Why didn't she just tell him how she felt?"

"Huh?"

"Why didn't she just confess to him?"

After she said it, both of them stopped, feeling pangs in their chests. 'Confess.' Hinata thought, suddenly biting on her thumb hard. '...A confession...'

For Naruto, confession reminded him of many things. Of many things, indeed. "Uhm." He started. "I guess I really don't know..."

Hinata noticed his downcast expression, "Naruto-san? W-what's wrong?"

"Oh, uh, nothing. It's just...weird. It was weird then and it's still weird now."

"Why is it weird?"

"It's weird because, right before Sakura went after Sasuke to kill the bastard, she confessed to me."

Hinata was dumbfounded and suddenly extremely angry. "W-what?"

Naruto scratched the back of his head and shrugged as if it were the most nonchalant topic, even though it probably couldn't have meant more to him. "She confessed her love for me."

It was quiet for a moment. Hinata swallowed, her throat sore and eyes beginning to burn. Maybe it was the odor of the mayonnaise or ginger on her plate that irritated them; she rubbed them with a sleeve-clad fist. "Wha-what happened? H-how did she...how did s-she tell y-you?"

Her stutters were more frequent as she tried to use her voice, which now was strained; she felt like her throat was closing.

Naruto looked at her with a concerned look, a serious mask stretched across his physical stature and features. "She just arrived with Kiba and Lee. Kakashi and Yamato were there too. It was snowing." He looked back to his hands and placed his chopsticks down next to his plate, remarkably losing his appetite. "She just came up to me, and told me she was over Sasuke. And that she was in love with me, so I should just stop chasing him. She told me everything she should have said. She even hugged me. But..." He paused.

"It wasn't sincere. She was lying. I could just tell. And...ever since then, she's been bitter towards me. Going after Sasuke is not just because of my promise to her...it's for me as well. But I..."

Hinata waited, unable to continue eating as well. Naruto's voice cracked, "But she didn't do it for me. She would never see me that way. She did it for herself, maybe to relieve herself of the guilt that she was dragging me along on this frikkin' tireless rescue mission; that I was sacrificing so much for this. She felt bad for me...And that's the last thing I want."

His fists clenched. His form slouched, his shoulders quivering. He was tormented by pity. He didn't ask for pity. He asked for acceptance. To be looked at as an equal or even looked up to, one worthy of acknowledgment and care. That was really it.

"You wanted her to see the worth in you."

Naruto looked at her with tears glistening in his eyes. Hinata looked directly at him, seeing only him. "Y-you wanted her to accept you as you were, for her to really see you." She leaned closer and reached a hand out, having it linger above his shoulder. When she finally placed it down, her hand so small compared to the bulk of his muscled shoulder, Naruto leaned into it, releasing his tensions at her simplest touch. Her fingers travelled down towards his neck and past it to the opposite shoulder as he leaned in closer to her. His face fell, pressing his forehead into Hinata's chest. At first she was surprised, then wrapped her arms around him, resting her cheek on his soft blonde head. "Y-you wanted to be acknowledged by her most of all because you felt like you always tried so hard that maybe you earned a little bit of attention." Naruto let out a shaky breath.

"H-how can you tell?" He said.

"...I can see it in your eyes Naruto-san. A sight I used to see in the mirror everyday...in my own eyes."

Naruto felt a painful throb in his chest. He heard Hinata continue, "I-I'm sorry, I don't know why I said that. I can't even recall a time when I felt that. I-"

"I'm sorry."

Hinata shushed him, "No, don't be... it's-"

"No, damnit. I'm sorry. I can't...not now. Soon. Okay? Just wait a little longer...Uh-until I can..."

"Alright, alright. It's alright," She soothed him like he had comforted her in the past. "I can wait. I can wait as long as you need me to, Naruto-san..."

He nodded into her chest and then went silent, thinking it better not to speak for a while. He wasn't so sure she could wait, like she said she could, not all alone at least. He had a hunch about her memory, a feeling he couldn't put into words. But he was going to help Hinata. He just didn't know how yet. Naruto knew now after spending so much time with her, even forgetting about Sakura's temper and Sasuke's rescue just to be with her, her past hurt her more than he had ever imagined. And he had been too stupid to realize it at the time when she was in her deepest despair. What an idiot he was.

" 'N-nata," Naruto raised his head, becoming nose to nose with the young woman. She blushed involuntarily at the proximity. "I-it's not because it was Sakura. My feelings are dispelled. It was a feeling that I could never grasp, that feeling of deserving something, that I really wanted. And I thought Sakura was going to be able to let me get it...It just...didn't work out that way. My feelings for Sakura are completely gone."

Hinata looked at him with wide, innocent eyes. "Okay." She said slowly. "Good for you, Naruto-san. She didn't deserve you anyway." She smiled, but that was all. He hadn't gotten through to her. Or maybe he had, but she was still missing a key point from her memory. He couldn't tell her, not yet. She would have to wait a little longer, but he promised himself that he'd be around this time to keep her company, while he figured out what to do.


	7. Chapter 7

Hello there dear readers. I am truly sorry for the wait! I was a little stuck...Plus.. I'm in college now and barely have time to write anything.

I hope you enjoy!

We should be nearing the end very soon :)

By the Way Just wanted to give a quick THANK YOU to all my reviewers and hitters and whatever everyone passing by! I really appreciate you reading my story! Much Love!

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><p>"What do you think about? When you're not in a mission you mean." she asked innocently. Her mind told her this was dangerous, to be this close to him, to here him breathing beside her. Her instincts were wary, yet a feeling in her heart kept her there, anchored, lying on the ground next to him. There was something about this boy, something she knew maybe in the back of her mind, buried in the depths of her heart, that drew her to him. Somewhere in her subconscious, she knew why; she could just feel it. But a memory of a sharp blade piercing through her very body made her shudder and thus forbade her mind from exploring a connection between Naruto and herself.<p>

Naruto grunted and rolled over onto his stomach. He thrust his arms behind his head, looking at her with a smug, but cute look on his face. "What are you saying, Hina-chan?"

"For example, when you look up at clouds, what kind of figures can you make out? Sometimes what you see is what you normally seek, sometimes it is what you typically think about."

"Hm," he grunted again, grinning. "I think if I were to answer this question properly, I might have to do research first, then."

"Research?"

"Yep." He looked up at the sky, a few clouds polka dotting the crystal blue canvas above them.

"I see...a toad over there!"

"Where?"

Naruto scooted closer to her, his head next to hers. He pointed to the cloud, "Right there. It's big and rounded with lots if bumps on it's back. And it's going after a fly," he pointed to another cloud to the left of it. "As usual."They laughed together.

"There's a kunai! Ah wait, sorry. No ninja stuff...uhm. There's a tea kettle. And oh, a fish. A fish...and a dragon over there. See the mouth? It's open and the teeth are curved an pointy. Ooh look! That round one. The lines around it look like days; it's the sun! Two suns in the sky. Wow!" Hinata smiled warmly as her eyes darted around, keeping up with him. "What do you see, Hinata-chan?" He left his arm suspended in the air, but his eyes fell to meet hers.

This surprised her and his face turning to hers with his blue eyes staring intently into her pearl ones surprised her more. "Uhm..." She couldn't look away and left her mouth slightly agape, forgetting it was open. And the moment that their eyes locked lasted an eternity and a half.

Suddenly Naruto's mouth twitched, his cheeks pinking, and his lips formed a smile. He lifted a hand and brushed a few locks off of Hinata's face, his fingers brushing against her cheek. A shudder ran up her spine. She bit her lip so hard in an instant that it started to bleed. She could taste the bit of blood seep onto her tongue yet remained still. Naruto saw the blood drip past her lip. He took a napkin out of his pocket and took her face in his hands, wiping the cut lightly. "Hinata-chan..." he said dismally. "Did you see?" He helped her sit up. He held her gently around her wrists. "Did you see? That one's a ramen bowl! Right there!" he said excitedly, pointing once again to the sky.

Hinata looked from Naruto to the clouds and back again with the same, fish out of water face. And then she laughed and continued laughing. Naruto laughed with her but his eyes refused to lighten, remaining serious. He did notice it. He didn't know how yet but he was going to help her. He needed to stop Hinata from hurting herself, somehow. It was hurting him too. An unbearable hurt; he hadn't felt something like this in his heart in a long time, maybe around the time Sasuke left.

But it was a different type of hurt, a hurt that stung in his chest. It was familiar, yet something he had never experienced before and all he wanted to do was make it better. It was something that made him want to cry; he wanted to always see her smile. He wanted to protect her, even if it meant from herself.

_ "Your smile saved me."_

Naruto smiled sadly; with a soft bump, Naruto's forehead fell to meet Hinata's in a sigh. Hinata's eyes bulged. The girl's body stiffened and a sudden dizziness struck her, a fleeting sense of dejavu also hitting her. Something was definitely familiar about the sensation. With a gentle laugh, Naruto's blue irises peered with a childlike curiosity into hers.

"Feeling a bit faint, Hina-chan?"

"Eh..n-no..." She squirmed a bit uncomfortably but couldn't take her eyes away yet again. There was most definitely something too intriguing about Naruto, so much so that she felt like she could never look away again. "I just...I-I'm fine!"

Turning his head slightly to look more directly at her, Naruto got a faint scent of vanilla that emanated from Hinata, perhaps the sweet aroma was from her lotion, or maybe from her conditioner, her dark hair falling past her shoulders to frame her face. Whatever it was, Naruto was intrigued and decided he didn't care about specifics. Hinata just smelled real nice, such a 'nice' that it could draw him to her side from miles away.

"...Naruto-san?"

He blinked. "Yes?"

"A-are you alright?" She looked so damn cute like that, her cheeks slightly pink and her eyes wide in concern. She seemed genuinely worried, probably because he hadn't answered her when she had spoken his name many times. Taking her hands in his, surprising her further, Naruto nodded without breaking eye contact. He felt his heartbeat quicken in an instant when she gave him a soft smile back.

Maybe...he had fallen in love with her. If this was what falling in love was. He couldn't think of anything else it could be; being around her made him feel so elated and giddy, safe and comforted. She was more open than he had ever seen her, so maybe she was comfortable around him too. Well, at least he hoped. Sure, she still stuttered. And she blushed and could become reserved at times. But there was something about the silences they had shared when they weren't just talking about anything, there was something about the smiles she gave him. There was something about the absolutely wonderful feeling he felt in his heart when he saw her, or heard her laugh.

Yea. He had fallen in love with her.

But there was still that.

"I'm going to help," he said.

"Hm?"

"I'm going to help you."

"Naruto-san...I...I don't understand."

Before Naruto could respond, there was a loud rumbling, everything around the two became shadowed. They two ninjas looked around and up at the sky, the clouds they had just been gazing at moments ago were a threatening dark gray. A cover of darkness stretched across the once blue sky in a matter of minutes. The pair stood up in a hast, though not releasing one another's hands. A drop of water hit Naruto's cheek. And that was it. They should have expected the sudden downpour.

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><p>There you go. When I have a school break I will write more soon! SOOONNN 3 luv u all.<p> 


	8. Chapter 8

I'm so sorry. I have no other excuse but academics/college. So naturally as finals are next week I have time to write the next chapter XD... eheh..  
>Anyway. I'm so GLAD that Naruto came back to Konoha. And FINALLY said SOMETHING to Hinata. Not exactly the conversation I wanted...BUT hey, I'm not going to complain because of course it wasn't a bad moment at all. That at least confirms that ifwhen Naruto and Hinata discuss her confession it won't be negative...? Naruhina? Please?  
>Eh who knows... (If you don't know what I'm talking about, check out the latest chapters of Naruto...)<p>

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><p>The rain was really coming down. Hinata let out a high pitched gasp which was barely audible over the thunderous roar of raindrops slapping against the ground. Naruto unzipped his jacket, thrusting it's span over both him and Hinata.<p>

"C'mon!" he yelled. They ran down the dirt path, the mud squelching under their feet as it soaked through their sandals. Finding a large oak for cover off the road, Naruto and Hinata sprinted for the trunk of the tree.

In her haste, Hinata slipped, her arms flying in front of her instinctively. Naruto made a quick turn around, catching Hinata in his arms as her feet flew out from under her. With her weight suddenly pressing against him, Naruto slipped himself on the mud beneath him and together the two fell backwards. His back hit the tree behind him, the leaves and branches above them blocking the rain, and he grunted on impact. After that they were silent for a few moments, breathing heavily in each others arms. The rain continued to pour down onto the earth without hesitation.

"A-are you okay, Hinata?" Naruto asked with a strained tone and a bruised head.

"Yes... I think so," She looked down at herself, and then back up at him. "Thank you," she said sincerely.

"No problem," He said, but it didn't cross his mind to let go of her. She didn't seem like she wanted to separate either. She leaned against his warm chest with lenient ease, content as her head fell to rest on him.

"Are you alright?" Hinata reached her hand to his head. He instantly felt embarrassed and his ears pinked.

"Yu-yeah..." He said sheepishly.

He looked down at her. She smiled without hesitation or restraint when their eyes met.

"I love you."

It really wasn't planned; it just kind of came out. He didn't mean to drop it on her like that so suddenly. Her eyes were like saucers, oh Kami. He was never really good at saying the right thing. He was a great talker, but it all just kind of flowed out without him thinking much of it. Shit, he wished he had at least thought a little before having that come bluntly out of his mouth. He was terrible with timing. And wording things right. Why did he have to say that wrong? Hinata's jaw had dropped. God, she was still staring at him. Should he say something else? Probably. But his thoughts were swimming and his words were likely to come out jumbled and incredibly stupid.

"What?" Oh, thank goodness, she said something instead.

"Hinata-chan, I..." He tried to begin again.

"No."

Naruto blinked. "What?"

"No. Y-you can't." She was rigid in his arms.

"Wha-"

"No!" Wrenching free of his grasp, Hinata staggered backwards. The hands that pushed him away were trembling. The look on her face shouldn't have caught him off guard. He should have expected an outburst. But he couldn't have expected the pain. He felt beaten, bruised, when he saw her eyes. Eyes that were so scared, so in denial, so lost.

She shrieked and it felt like he had been punched. "Please... Please don't say that...!"

"H-hinata...the rain.." She was getting drenched; he took a wary step forward, his arms raised, palms facing the stormy sky.

"I-I-I don't know why. But it hurts. No, Naruto-san y-you can't love me!" She was shaking her head, as if the idea of it was unfathomable.

"Why not, Hinata?" he asked forcefully, his tone deep and serious. He stepped out into the rain with her. He didn't mean to sound so direct, so angry, but he was only angry at himself.

"B-because..." she was caught off guard. He took a step toward her and she flinched.

"Why is it so wrong for me to be in love with you?" He said with his voice faltering, asking more to himself than to her. Why couldn't he be with her? Why did he have to be undeserving of her?

"I've never felt like this before. I didn't know how to do this right! All I know is I want to be by your side. Cause that would be pretty damn wonderful." he gave a dry laugh, in response to the irony of how happy he was to be with her and how persistently she avoided his touch when he tried to gently reach out to her. How worthless he really was.

She kept on crying, bending at her waist. Grasping the wet fabric of her jacket, near her heart, she cried, "Why does that hurt so much?"

Naruto said, "It's because I hurt you. I was stupid. I didn't know what to do. So I kept my mind on the mission. I needed to find peace. For Konoha. But I didn't... I didn't think clear. But I wanna think clear now!"

She wrung her hands, her dark hair plastered on her face from the rain. She looked into his eyes, terrified. In such pain. Each raindrop that hit her skin left a cold, paralyzing chill.

"I didn't realize. I used to give you comfort... But when you really needed it, I wasn't there. I left. It must have made you lonely. Really lonely... And lost."

Something snapped; she ran right to him and banged her fists on his chest. "Stop it! P-p-please stop! It hurts Naruto-san!"

He let her hit him. She began to cry again, slowing the beating of her fists and clenched her fingernails in to her palms.

"All I wanted was a response. Acknowledgement! But you never looked back at me!" Hinata gasped, only realizing once she said that, that she had unconsciously let that slip out. Where had that come from? She recalled blurry visions, fleeting memories that seemed like only dreams. But when she gazed up into Naruto's pain stricken, knowing face and instinctively knew it must have been a reality some time ago.

"Shit, Hinata I-..." He deserved it. He deserved everything she blamed him for. It had hurt when he came back to Konoha. It had hurt so bad because she had unknowingly given him the same treatment he had given her two years ago. She hadn't acknowledged him at all and he had questioned his own self worth. No wonder she suffered. No wonder.

Blood ran down her wrists from the full of her palms; Naruto took her small hands in his. "I'll leave. I'll leave as soon as possible. I only hurt you." Her head raised, startled. "I'm so sorry, Hinata. I'm just being selfish. You're better off without me. You don't get hurt without me around. You're better off. "

Hinata's eyebrows furrowed and she tried to say something. But nothing came out of her mouth.

Naruto hung his head and begged."Forget what I said. Forget it please."

"N-Naruto-san..." For some reason, the idea of Naruto gone left her even more terrified and pained.

"Don't remember. There is nothing worth remembering. "

"W-wait, I..."

A sudden scream echoed throughout Konoha. Then an explosion. Hinata and Naruto raised their heads to the noise.

"Something's wrong..."

The rain had drizzled to a stop. Smoke arose from the skyline of Konoha. "Oh Kami..."

The two broke apart and sprinted towards the village.

"Shit, what could have happened?"

"I-I don't know."

The village was full of chaos. Villagers were running, screaming. Mothers grasped their children's wrists and scooped them up, frantically pushing and shoving their way through the crowded streets. Ninja were assembling, looking towards the sky, putting on their gear, shouting from all directions.

Hinata's team 8 was gathering in front of Ichiraku. Sakura was with them, yelling as frantic as the other ninja. Some buildings were on fire; that explained the explosions and smoke. Civilians and ninja hurried about their village to put out the fire. Hinata and Naruto ran over to their friends hand in hand, they hadn't realized they hadn't let go.

"What the hell is going on?" Naruto exclaimed loudly. Sakura and the others turned to them, glanced down at their joined hands and then matched their gazes once more.

Before anyone had a chance to answer, there was a booming voice that echoed throughout the valley:

"There's not much you can do. You don't stand a chance, _dobe.__"_

All eyes drawn to the voice, they found themselves gazing up in complete shock towards the Hokage Monument. Atop the Fourth Kage's large stone head stood none other than a vengeful, looming figure of Uchiha Sasuke.

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><p>I'm sorry it's so short, but I have plans :). It was a heavy-duty chapter, and I really struggled writing it...I don't really know why, haven't written creatively in a while I guess...<br>Reviews please! xoxo


	9. Chapter 9

This was supposed to be the second to last chapter. Buuuttt...the characters decided to flow out a different way, differently than I planned. Turns out Hinata was crazier than I thought, hahaa. And so it continues. Let's see where this goes from there.

Goodness, I'm not good with action scenes. But I am going to try my darndest and very best! I'm sorry if anything is wrong with the fighting style techniques. Please don't criticize too much, action is really hard for me! XD

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><p>It was very clearly an attack. Sasuke swooped down from the Hokage Monument, disappearing from view. His followers sprung up from many directions and disappeared once they left traces of bombs or flung kunai in spontaneous directions. As families and civilians dove for cover under anything they could find, the Konoha ninja took ready, defensive stances.<p>

Springing into action, ninja flew to protect their village. Their fingers flew in automatic, almost instinctive hand signs and jutsus in less than seconds.

Naruto gave a slight turn of the head when Hinata released his hand, leaf-like veins sprouting across the sides of her temples. He turned to his enemy, as his own eyes changed dramatically. His hair tinted gold and his eyes transformed in a very frog-like manner with solid, rectangular pupils. With a blink of his eyes, a deep crimson spread along the skin of his eyelids. He was ready.

He ran for Sasuke, knowing he was the only one who needed to take him on. He dove behind the facade of a house. He crept with utter stealth, barely even breathing. Aware of the Sharingan's range and enhanced abilities, Naruto knew how to hide; how to approach his former teammate was the issue he was quickly going to encounter. But something distracted him; Karin sprung towards him out of nowhere. He cussed out loud and fought her off; their battle dragged him away from where Sasuke was hiding.

"Well, this is surprising." Sasuke said as Hinata took her stance in front of him. They stood on a rooftop, face to face, staring each other down. "It's interesting how your demeanor has changed, Hyuuga." He circled her, stoically, not even flinching when Hinata's fists erupted with blue tiger flames.

"This is surprising, Sasuke-san." She faced him, meeting her white Byakugan eyes with his red, Sharingan eyes. "I-I'd never think you'd come back in that sort of f-fashion."

"And I had heard you had stopped stuttering. What a shame to see that was only a rumor."

"Gomen nasai. S-so sorry, to disappoint you...Was there a p-particular reason...you sought to listen to such rumors about me?"

"..." She honestly had suspected an answer; that was her first mistake. In an instant, there was a knife at her throat.

She ducked under his arm and thrust her hands towards Sasuke. They fought a battle of dodges and throws, the two circling in a strange dance. Hinata was good with close combat. Her aura shone through her being, an aura of determination. Her Gentle Fist technique flew as swiftly and flexibly as she did, almost searing the pale skin of the Uchiha numerous times.

This ticked the Uchiha off just a bit. Increasing his speed, he slashed the sleeve near her shoulder. He continued to add unexpected spurts of speed, getting in short attacks. But Hinata was also swift, dodging most swipes at her and countering the attacks.

She leaped back, blocking his assaults, and was able to keep him occupied for a steady amount of time; he hadn't suspected that she'd be able to hold him off for so long. He was even beginning to break a sweat in the heat of the moment. In their long bout, Hinata was beginning to wane on her endurance.

"I'm intrigued, Hyuuga."

Hinata started, blocking another throw towards her.

"You've changed. In what way, I cannot say. Maybe because of the dobe-" He advanced on her with sudden speed. Her defense fell; Sasuke was so close, she could feel his breath breeze across her face. "N-Naruto-san i-is..." She stammered, looking straight ahead of her, past Sasuke and to the clouded sky before her near the horizon line. Sasuke leaned forward, his long black bangs brushing softly against Hinata's cheeks as his lips travelled to her ear.

"I heard..." His voice dropped to a husky whisper. She shivered. "You saved his life and he completely. ignored. you."

She looked at him in terror, her Byakugan disappearing from her shock. "N-no. Naruto-san...he..."

"Naruto-san? You're full of surprises, Hyuuga. If only you weren't still sickeningly in love with him..."

"Love?" She picked up her guard and went to slap him, to shove his face away. "I'm...in love with him? ...I'm not..."

She actually managed to hit him, his cheek shining red. He gave her a cocky smile. "Don't screw with me, Hyuuga."

"I'm not in love with Naruto-san! I'm not!" She regained her stance and spun, her leg catching around Sasuke's ankle. As he crashed to the ground, Hinata pressed her palms to her cheeks "...Am I?"

"I never thought of you as an idiot, Hyuuga. You couldn't possibly be blind enough to not realize it yourself. No matter what you went through in the recent years."

"You don't know WHAT I've been through!"

Sasuke didn't try to stand. He sat, bent forward with his arms slung over his knees. "I don't. You're right. But does that mean you do?"

She forgot they had just been attacked. For some reason, this felt very normal. Like they were just talking. This feeling was quick and barely momentary. There was so much confusion going on inside her that she didn't know what to do. She blew up at him, unintentionally.. "O-Of course I do! I was strong and I overcame the c-constraints and disapproval of my family. I grew a-and persevered. No one needed t-to acknowledge me. I wanted to forget the pain. They were all out looking for you." Her eyes bulged. She pointed a finger down at him, shrieking. "Damn you! You left and all they thought of was YOU! And I-I told myself he was supposed to end up with Sakura-chan, once he brought you back! B-but he came back...without you. And Sakura-chan still dismissed him." She was pacing back and forth now, her hands in front of her, motioning to nothing as she spun her tale of woe that she herself wasn't following well. Many thoughts and sides to conversations she never got the chance to voice were all flowing out of her at the same time. She saw Naruto's smiling face in her mind. It was bittersweet; she reached up to touched his cheek with a smile, but he wasn't truly there.

When she saw her fingers only met air and not Naruto's whiskered face, immense sadness consumed her features. "Naruto-san, he...Naruto-san was supposed to be happy. All was supposed to be well for him, even if it c-couldn't be well for me. I saw him again and couldn't even remember his name. I couldn't even remember his name! NOT EVEN HIS NAME!" She leapt towards Sasuke, the tears that had been threatening to fall spilled over and across her cheeks. Sasuke jumped up to his feet, reacting instinctively. They fought, jumping at each other, throwing jutsus and attacks at each other relentlessly. One attack smacked Hinata across the face, and she fell to the ground from the weight of the blow. Sasuke stood over her, his katana in hand and an emotionless face. His voice however held some perplexity.

"What the hell happened to you, Hyuuga Hinata?"

She looked up at him, gritting her teeth as she tried to catch her breath. "I don't know."

He went to strike her again, to deliver a final blow, when his blade ceased in midair, the metal of an obstructing object clanging as the two met. After the echo of the sound dissipated, a quick silence overtook the area that only a simple hitch of breath broke. Naruto's kunai quivered under the pressure of Sasuke's sword as he held it above his head; standing between Sasuke and Hinata. Naruto smirked darkly and said, "Well, hey there, Sasuke-teme. Welcome back."

"It's good to be back," Sasuke gave quite a disturbing grin. Probably one he had offered Orochimaru or Itachi upon encounter. He clicked his tongue. "Well, I suppose I'm done playing around with this one."

"You better believe it, you asshole. Don't you dare play with her like that, ever!"

"And what are you going to do about it, dobe?" When Sasuke noticed Naruto's aura becoming foxlike and his eyes blazing red, he merely shrugged it off. "Don't you think defending her is going to confuse her further?"

"Whatever it takes to get her the hell away from you!"

"My, how you fancy her wellbeing. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were-"

"-in love with her?" Naruto finished for him. Sasuke's mouth twitched, with a smile to a grimace in a second. "What the hell, I'll scream it out loud. I'm in love with Hinata! I love her!" He held his arms out, his Rasengan spinning in his palms. Hinata had been very still watching the two young men circle one another, but she now felt she couldn't breathe. She gasped for air as if something was constricting her throat and padded the ground with her palms. For a reason she couldn't fathom, she scrapped her knuckles back and forth on the paved rooftop they were standing on.

"I'm sorry, Hinata."

She looked from her bleeding hands to Naruto's back. "I'm sorry. As soon as I finish this bastard off, I'll leave, okay? Then all can be well for you."

"But what's this?" Sasuke cut in. "I thought you were in love with her, Naruto-san!"

"I am! But I already had my chance. And I totally blew it. Coming back to Konoha, I only made things worse."

"B-but you didn't." She said above a whisper. "Y-you didn't do any of that," she wiped her fists on her pants, not really realizing the stains of blood that were emerging on the dark material.

Please don't...leave.'

Naruto smiled, the tone in her voice didn't indicate she was angry or upset with him. It was that forgiving tone that warmed his heart, setting it ablaze. His goal first was to protect Hinata, he then must subdue Sasuke in order to restrain him and keep him in Konoha. It was funny how that promise he had made long ago, to bring the teme back, lowered on his priority list.

"Hinata," Naruto sent Sasuke flying onto his back. He turned back to her, "I will protect you. I stand by what I say. Because that's my ninja way-ttebayo!"

She didn't know why those words struck her. Did her heart stop beating? Was she even breathing? Something in her mind shut off, and a wave of light-headedness spun in her head. This was familiar, a strange dejavu of a feeling. But in an instant, she didn't even realize it, she didn't even want to, she had no choice. Hinata met the ground and her vision went black.

She had fainted.

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><p>I'm sometimes a supporter of Sasuhina...so yea I believed Sasuke would have a soft spot for Hinata, in his own little twisted way. I don't know..<p>

I'll try and post more soon. Please Review!


	10. Chapter 10

Why hello there! This chapter isn't very long...but at least I got another chapter in xD and I'm happy with it. :) Hope you enjoy!

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><p>Sunlight peaked in through the white blinds, washing over the fabric of the white blanket that was neatly tucked around her legs and thighs. The white walls of the room reflected the brightness of the sun and practically emanated light. Though the neckline of her white gown lay at the base of her collar bone, she felt like it was suffocating her. She picked her hand up, her fingers touching her neck. Something tugged at her wrist. The clear tube of an IV was connected to her skin; as her eyes followed the line of the tube to the small bag it was hanging from, she saw the shiny metal that held it. She noticed the other 'not white' objects scattered about the room.<p>

A brown chair was placed near the opposite corner wall. A picture frame hung on the wall with an image of a landscape pressed behind the glass. A potted plant sat in the sunlight of the windowsill. Something about the plant sparked her memory, but she couldn't place it clearly in her mind.

She felt stiff, blinking to sharpen her hazy vision, and stretched her legs, curling her toes. The rest of her body felt like lead, plus she didn't like the feeling of the IV stuck in her arm. The silence of the entire room was making her head hurt. She wanted to sit up. Twisting her hips so that she rolled onto her side, she stared at the white wall and the white paneling of the open doorway. A doorway that led to a hallway with similar white wallpaper and white floor tiles. Hospital. Yes, that was it. She just had to consciously remind herself of some things. She was in a hospital. She had been in one before. A couple of times. She wondered why she had been here before. Then she wondered why she was in here now.

She tried to consciously recollect what was going on. Before she turned over, she saw the plant and chair. Before she looked for more color in the room, she noticed the IV. Before her neckline of her gown choked her, she had opened her eyes. Before the sunlight woke her, she had been asleep. And before that...she had fainted. Before-

"-ttebayo."

Hinata started, her eyes wide. In an instant, she tore the IV out of her wrist, tossing it's dripping end to the side and pulled her covers off of her in tremendous haste. The white floor tiles were ice cold on her bare feet and she was vaguely aware that her white gown was the only

garment she had tied around her.

It's him. Her legs were shaky but something inside her heart lit on fire. She ran out the doorway with the white paneling. She ran down the long white hallway. She ran to him.

"But Sakura-chaannn..." She skidded to a stop in the middle of the hall. At the end of the hallway, there was another doorway. A doorway with a white panel around it. A voice came from within the room that the doorway lead to.

"Naruto! Stop, you can't do that!"

Naruto. Hinata took a step, bouncing once on her knees to keep herself standing. Whatever was in that IV prevented her from feeling woozy. "Na-" That was from her, her voice was quiet and sore. Naruto.

"Naruto! Come back!"

Naruto. He was in the doorway, the sunlight behind him. He seemed like he was glowing gold. He had bandages all over, around his wrist, around his upper arm, around his stomach, around his head where his headband would usually be. He had patches and cuts and bruises, but he still smiled when he saw her. He smiled so brightly, tears sprung to her eyes.

"Hey there, Hinata-chan."

There was a pause. Hinata's breath caught in her throat. A shiver ran up from her toes to her shoulders.

"N-Naruto-kun."

She ran straight to him. When he hit his chest, he grunted and lost his footing, not expecting the weight of her impact. They sat on the cold floor, in their thin gowns, in each other's arms. She had her arms wrapped around his neck like a vice and he gave a good laugh. She kissed his cheek, but nothing more, and kept on hugging him. He hugged her back with one arm around her. He pressed his face into the crook of her shoulder, squeezing her tighter as he breathed a sigh of relief. Thank Kami she was truly safe now. Thank heaven he was safe. Thank heaven.

After a long moment, they broke apart and Naruto said, "Hinata, you said..."

"Naruto-kun. I said Naruto-kun," She smiled and looked at him, placing a hand on his cheek. She smoothed her finger along his whisker lines as she sat in his lap. Her eyebrows furrowed as she focused her eyes on his cheeks. He searched her eyes as he leaned back on one arm. He noticed a clip on the top of her head and reached to take it out. Her dark hair billowed down around her, falling past her shoulders. It must have been put up while they were doing tests.

He smiled genuinely when she locked gazes with him again. "I... you can't leave."

"Ne?" He breathed. She took his arm that lay around her waist and placed her small hand in his. He looked down at their hands and then back up at her, not entirely sure what to think.

"Y-you can't leave me..." Hinata paused, playing with his bangs between her fingers."I feel better when you're around. I..."

Naruto turned his head, his eyes downcast, knowing that wasn't true at all. His blonde hair was tugged from her grasp.

"Naruto, you really shouldn't be standing. You're still..." Sakura came from the room with some bandages in her hands. She saw Hinata and Naruto sprawled on the ground and felt instantly uncomfortable. Then she gave a sigh, turning on her nurse mode. "Hinata, Naruto, we've got to get both of you lovebirds into your respective rooms. Neither of you have recovered yet. When Tsunade-sensei has given you the okay to walk around, then you can do whatever you want. Come on." Sakura held Hinata by her upper arms and pulled her to her uneasy feet. "I'll be right back for you, Naruto." She led Hinata slowly down the long hallway back to her room; along the way Hinata kept turning around to look back at Naruto with a puzzled look. She seemed to not see anything clearly besides Naruto.

Naruto leaned back on his arms, his legs half-bent in front of him. He let out a sigh, not really knowing what he was going to do now. Sasuke was subdued, he was lying unconscious in a cozy bed somewhere in the hospital, and who knew what was going to happen with him once he woke up. But with Sakura and Tsunade on nurse duty, he wasn't going anywhere until he recovered either. Hopefully they could keep him contained then.

He had said he would leave Konoha once again, but he didn't really have any place to go. His home was here. Hinata was here. He didn't want to go anywhere else.

But if it was best for Hinata...then he'd have to leave. He realized it wasn't really about him or his wants anymore. It wasn't that he was a monster, regardless of the existing Kyuubi within him, he was a monster anyway for treating Hinata so carelessly. While he had once thought that to be the case, it was evident that Hinata never showed any fear of him, well besides when he had confessed to her. But again that wasn't about him. It was about her confusion. Her pain. Her desperation. Her heartache.

She had called him Naruto-kun though. She hadn't called him that for two years. He missed it. He missed it a lot. She must recall some of her old feelings for him, though, if she were to call him Naruto-kun so familiarly. He hoped at least. 'Thank Kami,' he thought. 'Thank Kami the Hinata who loved me might still be in there.'

And then she hugged him and told him not to go. How could he deny her? Though she might even know that she wasn't thinking clearly, something inside her wanted him to stay. It was another part of her that couldn't handle him. He desperately wanted the good part to outweigh the bad part. For her to say that, maybe he had done something good for her. His heart swelled at the thought.

Naruto hung his chin to his chest. A pair of sandaled feet suddenly stood next to his hand. He hadn't even heard her coming. "See, you get up so quick and now you've exhausted yourself."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah..." She lifted him up, he tried helping her, but he found he was in fact, exhausted and could barely stand on his own. He winced when his wounds made him a little dizzy.

"Seriously. I can't believe you ripped the IV right out of your arm..."

"Yeah, yeah..."

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><p>So I am stuck as to what to do next...which is why I ended it here. What will befall Hinata and Naruto in the next chapter? No one knows... (yet) heheh.<p>

Thank you soooo much to my reviewers who have been with me through this story the whole way. I'm so grateful you've stayed with me so long 3 And to my reviewers who come and go, thank you! And to the people who just read and enjoy but don't have time to review, thank you! Thank you so much!

Anywayyy (on that note, haha) Please review! And if you have any suggestions, please let me know xDI'm really enjoying this exploration of Hinata's psyche. I don't think this can just end as easily and simply as I had originally planned it to play out. But I like that haha. Because this situation can't be simple. xD


	11. Chapter 11

I'm back! I'm sorry, I have no excuse for the looonng wait besides...incredibly terrible writer's block...Ugh no excuse I know, but I haven't given up on you yet, story/readers/reviewers!

I've been working hard the past couple days to get this done, so I hope you enjoy it! I've been in a romantic mood lately, so I'm sorry if it's out of character or really cheesy.. I tried my best :)

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><p>"Hinata?"<p>

"Hai, Naruto-kun?"

"...Nevermind." How could he ask her? How could he look her in the eye and ask, 'when did you start hurting yourself? Please stop, okay?' His tan fingers ran through his hair, sliding down from the back to the side of his neck. Slumping forward in exasperation, Naruto watched Hinata water the numerous assortment of plants scattered around his apartment. They had continued seeing one another after the attack on Konoha, simply because neither could find a good reason to stay away from each other.

It was a strange dejavu situation where the village was once again undergoing reconstruction. Sasuke had been subdued, currently under the watchful eyes of Sakura and the Hokage. He was forced to contribute to the reconstruction of his home village, as obvious punishment for destroying it. While Sasuke brooded during the laborious work, Naruto felt a huge relief off of his shoulders and he could focus more of his attention and thoughts and time with the Hyuuga heiress.

Hinata, to Naruto's slight relief, had reverted even further to her old self, blushing and stuttering more often than Naruto had heard in months. While thinking she was inexplicably cute when she demonstrated these familiar traits, it was worrisome to him that she didn't seem to realize these traits weren't new. Her memory was skewed, especially concerning him, and for reasons he could only guess, her self-harm habits hadn't ceased. They had certainly gotten immensely better, but while they lingered, Naruto could only worry in silence until he could think of a way to confront her about it. Recently he had been trying to bring the subject up, but he didn't want to seem insensitive, or cause her to cry or damage herself any more. And he knew he didn't always have the best way with words.

His mind whirring, Naruto let out a sigh. Hinata placed the small, empty watering can on the counter; she knelt on her knees next to him in front of the short kitchen table. Delicately, she placed a hand on his shoulder, running her fingers back and forth against the soft fabric of his light blue tee shirt. It was a nice color on him; it brought out the hue in his eyes. The hue that met her gaze now.

"Can...can we talk?"

They sat on his wood paneled floor across from one another. Naruto sat up and crossed his legs in front of him, his palms pressing into his thighs. Hinata sat with her legs folded beneath her, a perfect lady with impeccable posture; she insisted she was only comfortable that way. "What were you going to ask me, Naruto-kun?" She spoke with such a casual, familiar tone that he should have been eased of all tension, yet his heart hammered against his chest in anxiety. He licked his lips as he stared her straight in the eye. "What was your first memory of me, Hina-chan?"

She looked a bit taken aback, her pale face turning pallid. "A-ano... I don't know Naruto-kun...Maybe..." she drifted off, her eyes glazed over searching for something very far away. There was silence for a moment. Naruto didn't mind waiting.

"I remember...something to do with a swing." She spoke cautiously, but Naruto was intrigued. A swing?

"Like a playground swing?" He inquired. How long ago must that have been? Years, of course. He hadn't been near a playground in ages. Maybe academy days, but Naruto hardly recalled a memory in his own mind linking a swing to Hinata.

"M-maybe not!" she retreated. "M-maybe it had to do with potatoes..Yes, w-when you came to Konoha last spring! And you carried my bags.."

Naruto visibly wilted. He had been close, but he wouldn't give up.

"Naruto-kun, why do you ask?" Hinata was forcing herself to be calm. The question had riled up her insides something fierce. She squirmed and fidgeted under Naruto's gaze and she had the urge to stop speaking already, to hold her tongue and repress any further image that appeared in her mind's eye.

He didn't answer her. "Can you...can you remember what I looked like as a kid? Before the potatoes, I mean?" There was a hint of humor in his voice; Hinata instantly blushed but shook her head. When she looked down into her lap, Naruto took her face in his hands, sliding his thumbs down her warmed cheeks.

"Hina-chan if you feel too sad or upset, just...just know that I'm right here and we can take it slow. I want to help you. I just want you to smile okay?"

"But your smile saved me." she said abruptly then fell silent, quivering in his hands.

Naruto gave the brightest, truest smile he could, his whiskers on his cheeks curving into perfect arcs. Her frown faltered as his forehead lightly bumped hers.

"Okay, okay." He scooted closer to her in an excited tone. "What about you? Do you remember what you looked like as a kid? What were you like? What about Hanabi? Or Kiba and Shino?"

She nodded hesitantly after each person. Hinata had been a quiet child, reserved and gentle as she still was. Hanabi couldn't be more opposite. She was rash, but strong and determined. The daughter her father had wanted. A true Hyuuga. Naruto brushed her hair from her face. She leaned into his touch. But she was a sister Hinata loved dearly, for they looked after one another. Naruto gave a smile at that. Her father, she recalled, hadn't talked about her mother much during her childhood, but more frequently referenced her now to Hinata. Hyuuga Hiashi would now even voice a likeness or two Hinata shared with her mother, which pleased her greatly.

She had met Kiba and Shino officially when she was assigned to Team 8. Before that, she had seen them around at the academy. But Kiba had been such a loud boy that he frightened Hinata a bit and Shino had been so quiet, as Hinata had been, that they were both too shy to start any conversation. Besides, Hinata was much more of an observer than a talker. Watching in the shadows. Never gathering the courage to say what she wished she could.

Naruto changed the subject, "Do - do you remember the chuunin exams?"

Hinata raised a hand to her heart and kept it there, her whole figure saddening.

"You're alright," he said. He took her in his arms. "Hina-chan, you're alright."

"I-I know." she said, but didn't look at him.

"I cheered you on then." Naruto blurted out after having rested his chin on top on her head.

"Y-you did," Hinata said.

"Hai," Naruto confirmed.

"I cheered you on too."

Naruto was caught off guard and looked at Hinata with wide eyes.

"Even though you were up against Kiba, my teammate. I- I knew it was wrong, but I cheered you on in my head. In my heart, I suppose."

_'So...'_ Naruto thought. _'Even then...'_

"And when I went up against Neji-nii-san, all I could think about was you." Hinata spoke slowly and softly. "I wanted to make you proud. I - I wanted you to admire me in some way, like I admired you...e-even if it only made you look at me... even if it only made you _**see**_ me."

Naruto reached over and gently caught the tears that had begun to run down her face. As more fell Naruto kissed her cheeks where her tears ran, catching them before cascading further down her beautiful face.

"_I do see you,_" He whispered as he gently kissed the tears from her jawline and chin, and down her neck. He rested his face in the crook between her neck and shoulder. Kami, she smelled nice. As he took a breath, Hinata felt a strange warmth pulse through her whole body from the pit of her stomach to the erratically beating heart within her chest. She let out a soft moan filled with pleasure and the yearn for more.

She ran her fingers freely through his golden hair. Then down to the base of his neck she clung, staring eyes wide straight up but not even seeing the ceiling above them. She knew things were confusing. She didn't fully understand her relationship with Naruto, but something inside her couldn't bear to let him go. Naruto resumed kissing her neck and brought her down slowly to the floor. Hinata's lips met Naruto's cheeks, savoring the taste of his skin as she led her kisses down to his mouth.

Regardless of the fogged logic and hidden memories, she knew she was thinking clearly when she realized she wanted him. So she couldn't go through with anything further until she knew.

"Naruto-kun, if I asked, I trust you would tell me."

"Ne, 'Nata?"

"I want to know what you've been hiding from me. I mean, what I've been hiding from myself."

Naruto stopped, propped himself on his elbows, and looked down at her underneath him. As much as he had wanted to continue, the curious look in Hinata's eyes spoke to him. He should had known this was coming. If he didn't bring it up, she would, of course. And without the truth revealed, nothing further could happen between them. And lying to Hinata and hiding things from her was not Naruto's preferred style. Though he still hesitated before he settled down to lay next to her and said, "Okay…" He described, holding her hands, what happened with Pein. A long story without too much gory detail. But enough to make her understand. Enough for her body to physically recall the memories. Hinata lay next to him, her blood running cold, as if it were seeping from her body. She listened, intently, but he could tell she was in pain.

"Do you… remember any of it?" She shrugged her shoulders once but said "It's not clear, but it's not that I don't remember it."

Then he held her to him. Apologizing in her ear, he waited for Hinata to stop trembling before he continued.

"Hinata, you told me that you loved me. You told me you weren't afraid to…stand up for me. Even when your own life was at stake. I'd never heard anyone say something like that to me. And then you fought Pein. Hinata you were amazing. I told you to stop, but you wouldn't. I didn't want you to get hurt. But, you wouldn't give up, because that was your nindo, you said. Just like mine…"

Momentarily, Hinata began to breathe fast and shallow, as if suffocating on the air she breathed. Naruto slid open a window and a breeze carried in. The crisp clear air encouraged Naruto and Hinata both to take a few good breaths. He rejoined her on the floor, their hands clasping together and fingers entwining. Even as she composed herself, Hinata's tightening grip did not loosen.

"I remember flying" she said, her voice hitching in her throat. Her tone then resorted to a strained whisper. "Flying so high in the air. Dancing. Twirling. I wished you were with me."

That was something he obviously hadn't known. Naruto stared at her, dumbfounded. Taking a breath, she asked him patiently to continue. He swallowed, and told her about how he couldn't face her.

"There's no excuse." He said. "But my thoughts were all jumbled up and nothing made sense. I didn't know what to make of someone who told me that they had always watched over me, admired me, loved me. No one had ever wanted me, no one was there for me when I needed someone. Or at least, that's what I thought. And I was so confused, and I had Sasuke-teme and the Atasuki bugging around. I couldn't…I didn't…"

Hinata looked at their joined hands as he spoke. White knuckles, pink and tan skin overlapping each other. Blending together. She closed her eyes and willed herself not to provoke harm to herself. Battle plans. Rescue mission. The red swirl on the back of his jacket. The memories were coming back because she wasn't resisting or repressing them anymore.

"Okay. I-it's okay. It was nothing…really. Y-you don't have to w-worry or…"

"No, Hinata." He said firmly, though it pained him to say it. "No, but, I was a complete idiot. It was really shitty to do, to just avoid you like that. You should call me Naruto-teme!"

"Naruto-kun…"

"I just…and when I came back, two frikkin' years later, I was still oblivious. And you didn't know me. And that's exactly what I deserved."

They lay in each other's arms for a while. Naruto couldn't say much else. Hinata still cried, her fingers flexing now and then. When he found his voice, Naruto said, "I think…that's a lot for today. You wanna go for a walk? Get ice cream or something?"

Hinata laughed lightly and nodded into his chest.

Walking down the moonlit dirt path back into town, the two kept the same laid back pace, hand in hand. As the light of the shops and venders still open at this time of night lit up their faces and adjusted their eyes, Hinata said, "In you apartment, it hurt here." She gestured to her heart. "But only here. And I guess, these too." Her fingers touched the swollen, red skin under her eyes. "But I didn't do it." She said, looking at him with a smile. She meant that she had gone through the memories. She hadn't hurt herself at all. Not physically anyway. She was getting braver.

Naruto returned her smile a little sadly. He knew they had made progress. And what was amazing was Hinata was on-board with it. She wanted to dispel the barrier that had been put up between them. The one that made her...not right. The one that made her attempt to see through a fog. But he couldn't help his stomach churning with guilt as these thoughts left him heartsick. The simple thought that he had hurt her, enough to make her want to hurt herself, left him in more pain than when she had rejected his confession before Sasuke's attack.

_'Just like Sasuke-teme, I guess I'm serving my own punishment.'_

* * *

><p>I'm thinking one more chapter after this...<br>Because I honestly don't know how long I can drag this out otherwise And Naruto and Hinata seem to really just want to get together already! (And get in each other's pants! XD)

Plus, I like ending on even numbered chapters :D

Please review! They make me so happy! Reviews also ENCOURAGE ME TO WRITE FASTER AND LENGTHIER CHAPTERS because I still get emails for reviews, and then they remind me that I should be writing! 

So I hope it is not too long before we meet again! (Not as long as the previous wait, good gosh) Toodles~


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